Hamburg Networking ConferenceInternational Partner Universities Network Globally in Hamburg

26 September 2023, by Newsroom editorial office

Photo: Sven Rehder Fotografie

Group photo from the 2023 Hamburg Networking Conference

Which innovative research and teaching projects provide the opportunity for international collaboration and exchange while also being flexible enough to fit into the universities’ existing curricula? Are multilateral networks the future of academic internationalization? And how can young researchers be enabled to network internationally? These and many other questions were discussed by more than 70 participants at the 2023 Hamburg Networking Conference at Universität Hamburg.

The Hamburg Networking Conference (HNC) is a networking platform for international university partners. On the one hand, it fosters discussion among international partners on education and research topics; on the other, it promotes the consolidation of existing bilateral networks and the development of multilateral thematic networks.

More than 70 participants got together at Universität Hamburg from 20 to 23 September 2023. “We were delighted to see that not only did many international partners make the trip to Hamburg but many employees from our faculties also took up the invitation to attend the HNC and thus, on the one hand, added to the conference through their insights and perspectives and, on the other hand, got a deeper insight into Universität Hamburg’s internationalization process,” says Eva Leptien, partnership management advisor in the Department of International Affairs and in the International Office of the Faculty of Law at Universität Hamburg.

“The atmosphere in the workshops was decidedly productive, and it was fascinating to experience how, for example, our colleagues from Indiana University Bloomington in the United States and the University of Exeter in the UK deal with the topic of sustainability and internationalization,” explains Antje Katzschner, partnership management advisor in the Department of International Affairs. The conference attendees also benefited from the joint exchange and were impressed by the clear international character not only of Universität Hamburg but also of the city of Hamburg as a whole. At the concluding panel event, the conference participants positively highlighted the open and direct exchange and the opportunity to set individual areas of focus through the workshops offered:

• “My basket of takeaways is heavy and full of new insights and ideas that are very relevant to our jobs at our higher education institutions.” Prof. Alicia Salomone, Universidad de Chile, Chile
• “It is extremely important to put faces to names. Events like the HNC help to get to know and to understand each other. It was a very rewarding experience.” Prof. Sabina Halupka Rešetar, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
• “The HNC is a brilliant format that I feel tempted to steal and take back to Leeds.” Phil Holliday, University of Leeds, UK