Welcoming the World at HSBI: 7th International Week with More Than 100 Guests from 35 Countries Has Started

Bielefeld (hsbi). Hochschule Bielefeld – University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI) is once again opening its doors for a week full of cultural diversity and academic exchange: for the seventh time, HSBI welcomes lecturers and researchers from all over the world during the International Week from 12 to 16 May. At the opening ceremony, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schäfermeier, Vice President International Affairs and Digitalisation, and Judith Peltz, Head of the International Office, bid the guests welcome at HSBI. “The International Week has been providing a valuable framework for international exchange for many years. It allows students, lecturers and researchers to look beyond their immediate surroundings and introduces new perspectives into classes and research projects,” Professor Schäfermeier emphasised. “Let us use this week to strengthen our network with numerous new contacts, ideas and partnerships. Let us reinforce existing bonds and forge new ones – because together we are stronger!”

In addition to offering a foretaste of the varied programme, the opening of the seventh International Week showed that HSBI’s global network and international profile expands each year: More than 100 guests from 35 countries – from Albania to Pakistan to the United States – followed the invitation. They will contribute their expertise to more than 70 events at all faculties and locations of HSBI – in intercultural presentations, projects and workshops or in interactive seminars as part of the university’s regular curriculum.

International insight into highly relevant topics

This year again, the International Week will reflect current social and scientific issues – e.g., Artificial Intelligence (AI), protest culture and challenges in the health sector. Students can thus analyse how clothing was and can be used for visualised resistance in a workshop on that topic. A research workshop will present the PainChek® app, which uses AI to improve pain detection in people with dementia and thus contributes to optimising care processes. In a hybrid workshop, international experts from five different health care systems – Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Moldova – will exchange their views on current challenges and digital transformation processes in the health sector.

A special highlight will be the “Bielefeld International Conference on Applied Business (BiCAB)” on 16 May, which will focus on the integration and application of AI in the corporate environment. The conference will shed light upon the latest developments, best practices and future trends in the implementation of AI in companies – including the impact on labour, business models and ethical questions. At the same time, it will offer practical approaches to effective AI integration.

Fostering intercultural exchange and strengthening international relations

In addition to input from research, personal exchange among the international guests plays an important role during the IW. Inspiring discussions with like-minded people, interesting country reports or insights into different biographies – HSBI will become a hub for intercultural encounters. One of the integral parts of the accompanying programme are the international tables at which anyone who is interested can explore the world in HSBI’s main hall: students from HSBI’s partner universities will present and offer a culinary taste of their home countries. In addition, the International Office will provide advice on stays abroad and organise a networking café for intercultural dialogue.

International teaching in the regular seminar room

The annual International Week, organised by Katharina Kontowski and Maximilian Köster from HSBI’s International Office, offers its participants a platform for intercultural and international exchange. What’s special about this is that the guests’ sessions take place as part of their HSBI colleagues’ regular courses. They are thus an integral part of the curriculum, which means that students benefit directly from the international teaching and research perspectives. (abo)