74 participants from 20 universities and 13 countries took part in the 2024 International Summer Convention (ISC) at FH Dortmund, spending five days focused on enhancing international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
FH Dortmund aims to increase the number of international students and strengthen its global network with partner universities. The ISC 2024 sought to achieve these goals by discovering shared interests, connecting research projects, and creating exchange opportunities for students.
“The program was very engaging,” says Prof. Dr. Stephan Weyers, who co-organized the event. In addition to workshops on intercultural training and international office structures, the focus was on the Research Talks, where participants presented their projects and found numerous new connections.
Project coordinator Catrin Randersen emphasizes the value of in-person interaction. “Compared to virtual meetings, personal connections are much deeper – through conversations, shared meals, and activities like the visit to the Dortmunder U.” She believes that networks built in this way are more sustainable in the long term.
The next ISC will take place from August 25 to 29, 2025.
Prof. Dr. Carsten Wolff, an informatics expert at FH Dortmund, adds that the workshop “How to run international projects” was particularly productive. “New project ideas and a best-practice handbook for project management came out of it.”