Eight strategic partnerships with international universities will receive special support from the Rectorate of Fachhochschule Dortmund in future. The goal: long-term and firmly anchored cooperation in teaching, research and organization.
One of these partnerships is with the RV College of Engineering in India. Representatives of the college recently visited Fachhochschule Dortmund to further strengthen cooperation for researchers and students, for example through joint projects, exchange programs or double degree opportunities. "The latter is important for international students in order to gain a foothold in the German job market more easily," says Prof. Dr. Stephan Weyers, Vice-Rector for Teaching, Studies and International Affairs at the UAS. With this offer, the university is also making an important contribution to countering the shortage of skilled workers in Germany.
"The strategic partnerships at Fachhochschule Dortmund are a central component of our internationalization strategy," emphasizes Rector Prof. Dr. Tamara Appel. The core idea is to increase international visibility and jointly address global challenges. "It is important to us that these partnerships are not supported by individuals, but by several faculties and include both teaching and research." To this end, a member of the Rectorate and the International Office of Fachhochschule Dortmund will each closely support these eight partnerships. The strategic partners currently include five universities in Europe, two in India and one in Colombia:
List of strategic partnerships
Delegation trip to Medellín
Vice-Rector Stephan Weyers admits: "The university in Medellín is certainly the most exotic of our strategic partners." At the same time, there is a long-standing collaboration with the university, which has also recently survived structural and personnel upheavals at the Colombian university. "A role model for our other partnerships," says Prof. Weyers. Latin America is also an exciting and economically up-and-coming region with great development potential and numerous points of contact.
He was able to see this for himself during a delegation trip to Medellín in March 2025. Tamara Appel and Stephan Weyers were also accompanied by Martin von der Pütten, Chief International an Diplomacy Officer at the City of Dortmund, who is responsible for international relations. "The transformation of Medellín is fascinating," reports Stephan Weyers. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city was considered one of the most dangerous in the world. It is now a model for development and innovation in society, culture, economy and sustainability. "Stable partnerships from the Ruhr region, which is characterized by structural change, in transformation regions such as Medellín in Colombia offer new opportunities for all those involved," says Vice-Rector Weyers. Among other things, the existing cooperation agreement with the Faculty of Business Studies was extended to include the Faculties of Architecture, Design, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Information Technology.
Science connects
There are many opportunities for cooperation. In addition to double degrees, there are already a number of low-threshold international teaching opportunities. For example, the so-called "Language Team Tasks", in which students from Fachhochschule Dortmund and international partner schools prepare and conduct a video discussion together. This not only strengthens language skills, but also teaches international cooperation - such as coordinating appointments across time zones and communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds. "This experience is a real plus for our students, especially if they are interested in jobs at international companies," emphasizes Stephan Weyers. This is particularly evident in the "cross-border projects", for example. Here, teams of international students work for a semester on specific tasks from companies and develop new practical solutions.
Parallel to this, several research projects are already running with international partners. These are also to be strengthened and expanded in the strategic partnerships. "Global challenges require international solutions," emphasizes Rector Tamara Appel. Particularly in the areas of sustainability and digital transformation, there is no need for isolated national solutions. With its strategic partnerships, Fachhochschule Dortmund is setting a clear focus on international cooperation and promoting academic exchange in the long term. According to the Rector, this academic dialog builds bridges and contributes to peacebuilding. Borders and differences can be overcome through joint cooperation.
