Expanding international recruitment

In our efforts to expand international recruitment, we differentiate between goals and measures designed for foreign students and those focussing on international researchers.

The recruitment of foreign students will be enhanced by expanding attractive international degree programmes. The flexibility that resulted from the Bologna reforms in terms of designing interdisciplinary and creative curricula at the MA level will be an especially important factor driving improvements in the attractiveness of UDE degree programmes for foreign students. Offerings will include programmes delivered in English (or other languages), especially at the master’s level; bilingual and double degree programmes; the integration of English-language modules into German-language degrees; blended intensive learning formats; and internationally relevant microcredentials.

As the number of internationally attractive degree programmes on offer grows, attention will focus on marketing and facilitating the recruitment of foreign students. The network of strategic partnerships, liaison offices and alliances around the world, including Aurora in Europe, already provides an infrastructure for publicising UDE programmes and for supporting marketing and recruitment activities. Programmes like the Studienbrücke of the Goethe Institute and relations with German schools abroad are helpful for recruiting talented foreign students. Possible administrative changes to facilitate early admissions decisions and ease the enrolment process for international students are to be explored in this context.

The recruitment of international researchers encompasses both the recruitment and onboarding of researchers abroad, and the recruitment and retention of researchers with qualifications from German universities and scientific organisations. Highlighting innovations in postdoctoral qualifications achieved as part of the UDE Research Strategy will improve the image of UDE as a destination for advancing academic qualifications. University-wide strategic partnerships and UDE/UA Ruhr liaison offices around the world will disseminate advertisements for funded doctoral and postdoctoral positions internationally.

The International Office will expand its role in coordinating and supporting knowledge-sharing in the recruitment of international students and researchers.

Expanding mobility at all qualification stages

Many of the measures designed to expand recruitment also contribute strongly to expanding student mobility. The more bilingual, double degree, blended and English (or other) language degree programmes UDE has in place, the better it can prepare its own students to study abroad and also attract students enrolled at Erasmus+ partner universities and partners in our international networks and alliances. The Aurora network as well as closer collaboration between the International Office and the faculties will play a key role in expanding mobility. At the faculty level, mobility is to be promoted through the development of international content and adapting the language of instruction, by an infrastructure of support staff, and by changes in curricula that will enable mobility without exceeding the standard period of study. The faculties will require more support from central units in operating international master’s degree programmes, as these introduce new complexities in recruitment, registration, onboarding and mentoring, not all of which is discipline-specific. The goal is for all degree programmes to have a module taught in English (or another language), mobility windows and regular staff assigned the task of supporting international exchanges.

Incoming and outgoing mobility requires a concerted ‘all-University’ strategy – in the faculties and research centres, in the International Office and the Science Support Center, in University leadership, and in the administration and service units. Strategic partners are an important resource for activating both incoming and outgoing mobility in teaching and research. The International Office is well- equipped to take on a coaching and mentoring role for faculties and research centres in preparing funding applications and facilitating contacts with international partners.

The mobility of researchers encompasses regular participation in international meetings and conferences, as well as funded research stays abroad as part of advancing the individuals’ research and qualification. The Science Support Center with the GC Plus offers an attractive programme providing further training and support for local and foreign researchers to advance their qualifications and research independence under the umbrella of the Research Academy Ruhr. The Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) and the UA Ruhr Research Centers and College recruit internationally accomplished senior researchers, thus contributing significantly to the development of an international research campus. UDE supports early career researchers in acquiring prestigious international fellowships. The University’s administrative services provide comprehensive English-language information and can perform administrative processes in English, thus enabling international researchers to manage their research independently.

The global content of degree programmes and the global reach and impact of research at UDE will continue to improve the attractiveness of the University for international students and researchers and empower members at all stages of qualification to take on international roles in academia and beyond. UDE/UA Ruhr liaison offices around the world are resources to be used by all UDE faculties and Inter-

Faculty Research Centers for recruiting students, enabling and supporting exchanges, and ensuring that information about open positions reaches potential applicants abroad.

Promote international and intercultural competencies

The successful Internationalisation@Home activities remain an important resource for improving the international and intercultural competencies of all groups in supporting a convivial campus culture. These activities can be expanded to equip local students for international exchanges and to support close and cooperative exchanges between international students and researchers. Internationalisation@Home and the Welcome Service will coordinate more intensively with the Diversity Support Center in anti-discrimination, equal opportunities and family* support activities to maintain an environment where diverse students and researchers can appreciate their differences, cooperate and learn from each other.

Innovating hybrid international mobility options for students and researchers

UDE is continuously enhancing the attractiveness of its degree programmes and research by innovating digital and hybrid forms of mobility in line with the digitalisation strategy. Efforts to build a virtual campus and improve the international context and the relevance of our degree programmes for international partners will be driven by Aurora and University-wide strategic partnerships. Blended and short-stay programmes will intensify researchers’ contact with peers elsewhere in the world

Internationalising further qualifications

Providing the support students and researchers need to attain further professional and academic qualifications is of high strategic importance for recruiting talented people, in order to both ensure excellent research at UDE and to train the professionals needed in the labour market. The GC Plus is the primary provider of support for doctoral candidates and early career researchers pursuing qualifications both for academic advancement and for research careers outside academia. In addition, best practices in international recruitment established in the International Studies in Engineering and other English-language and bilingual degree programmes are to be transferred to other faculties and programmes. Innopreneurship activities integrate an international component into training and support for start-ups and facilitate knowledge exchange with practitioners in the region and around the world, thus contributing to the UDE innovation and transfer strategy