With the organization and implementation of the first "Australian-German Network Coordinator Day" on 11th February 2019, the Gateway Office of the University of Bayreuth in Melbourne, which was officially opened in the middle of last year, successfully passed its first test. Nearly 100 participants from the areas of management, coordination and science of bilateral programs were brought together for this first German-Australian network event in order to exchange information and experiences at German and Australian universities. A large number of coordinators of transnational projects as well as several representatives of the DAAD and all partner universities of the University of Bayreuth in Melbourne were present.
The presentation of German-Australian projects, such as the DAAD-sponsored Bayreuth-Melbourne Colloid / Polymer Network, and further funding opportunities for German-Australian partnerships were met with great interest, as did the official presentation of the Gateway Office as an integral part of the hub strategy of the University of Bayreuth. This new type of event opened up completely new dimensions and perspectives of cooperation and interaction and was the highlight of a 3-week delegation trip in which the contacts could be deepened not only to the partner universities in Melbourne, but throughout Australia. In addition to the in-depth discussion and expansion of already existing cooperation, many new members were added to the circle of partners of the University of Bayreuth.
The full ubtaktuell article about the delegation visit in Australia can be found here.