Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has successfully acquired funding for two projects by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service): Under “StratP_KIT – China”, KIT plans to establish an interdisciplinary research and innovation platform with four Chinese universities in the Jiangsu Province and in the Shanghai Metropolitan Region. Under “CLICS”, KIT will extend the existing research network with partner universities in Hong Kong, Japan, and the USA and develop new joint education programs in the area of communication technologies.
Both projects ideally fit into the internationalization concept of KIT. Among others, this concept focuses on the establishment of international innovation networks, the internationalization of higher education, and the setup of joint infrastructures abroad. Cooperation with institutions in Asia and in particular in China is of major interest to KIT due to the rapid development of science and research in that country and its high economic power. So far, KIT has pursued some 100 cooperative ventures with more than 40 institutions in China.
The “StratP_KIT – China” project is aimed at establishing strategic partnerships between KIT and universities in the Jiangsu Province and the Shanghai Metropolitan Region. It is planned to institutionalize the contacts to four universities – Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NUST), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Soochow University (SUDA), and Tongji University Shanghai (TUS) – that have been maintained on the institute level so far and to extend them to form a strategic network. Scientific flagship projects, joint higher education programs, and acquisition of funding from third parties, as well as knowledge and technology transfer are to increase the visibility and attractiveness of the universities involved.
Cooperation will focus on production sciences, biotechnology, nanotechnology, materials sciences, mobility, climate and environmental research, as well as on innovation and entrepreneurship. An interdisciplinary research and innovation platform is to strengthen cooperation in these areas and to make it visible throughout China. The network will consist of the KIT office at Suzhou, joint labs at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and the AMTC (Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center) established by the KIT Institute of Production Science in Shanghai. Based on qualification programs of the already existing GAMI (Global Advanced Manufacturing Program) Institute at Suzhou, it is also planned to establish a German-Chinese learning factory for education and advanced training on “Global Production, Future Technologies, Environment, and Sustainability”.
Under the “CLICS – Continuous Learning in International Collaboration Studies” project, the KIT, together with the Carnegie Mellon University (CMO), Pittsburgh/USA, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Waseda University in Tokyo/Japan, and the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) in Nara/Japan, will establish a communication technologies network. It is planned to extend the existing international research network InterACT (International Center for Advanced Communication Technologies) of eight renowned institutions in Europe, Asia, and the USA to also cover international education and advanced training courses. These are to be accessible by a large range of users and to meet internationality and life-long learning requirements.
The CLICS partners will develop three international MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) in the areas of automatic language recognition, machine translation, and robotics. To facilitate access for participants from all over the world, the MOOCs will use automatic transcription and translation technologies. The MOOCs will be accompanied by laboratory exercises and local support. In addition, a series of lectures by renowned scientists, summer schools, conference grants, and exchange programs will be organized.
Under the program “Strategic Partnerships and Thematic Networks” funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), DAAD supports long-term cooperation projects of German universities with renowned partners abroad. After the recent call, 98 proposals were submitted. 28 projects of 26 universities were selected for funding. From 2015 to 2018, these universities will be granted up to EUR 1 million each to strengthen and sustainably establish major partnerships. The projects selected cover ten strategic partnerships and 18 thematic networks. In total, partner universities in 39 countries are involved.
Outside of the above program “Strategic Partnerships and Thematic Networks”, KIT also was successful with a third proposal. Under the DAAD funding line “International Doctorate in Germany – for all (IPID4all)”, the proposal “Internationalization for Young Researchers at KIT” was approved of. The measures planned in connection with IPID4all will extend the existing scope of funding offers by the Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists (KHYS) and be open to all doctoral students at KIT, irrespective of their discipline and of whether their doctoral studies take place within an individual or a structured doctoral program. Doctoral students from all over KIT are invited to apply.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.