DAAD Alumni Week "WHZ & KAFU- International 2023" - Building international networks

In connection with the successful Alumni Weeks in Zwickau, Germany since 2018, another DAAD Alumni Week "WHZ & KAFU - International 2023" - Building International Networks - will take place for the first time this year at the Kazakh-American Free University - KAFU in Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan from 13.09. to 17.09.2023.

KAFU is Kazakhstan's first private university in cooperation with the United States of America and therefore has a Kazakh and American board of directors. It was founded in 1994 by the former Minister of Education of Kazakhstan, Prof. Dr. Yerezhep A. Mambetkaziyev, a Kazakh legend, and an American delegation. It currently has over 2,500 students.

As an internationally oriented university with English-language study modules throughout, KAFU has been cooperating with WHZ within the framework of exchange programmes for staff and students since 2016 (ERASMUS+, Eastern Partnerships). Furthermore, cooperation in teaching and research in all three Bologna phases up to the cooperative doctorate was regulated in September 2018 on the basis of a Memorandum of Understandings (MoU). With this background, WHZ and KAFU also work together in international research projects. One of these projects is IDEA - Internationalization through Digital Education in Asia and Caucasus, which aims to establish a double degree.

In light of the current crisis situations, companies, research institutions and researchers themselves are facing immense challenges. Furthermore, the megatrends of digitalisation and sustainability as well as a steadily increasing globalisation are shaping current research interest. In this context and on the basis of previous alumni events, the urgency and great importance of international (research) cooperation crystallised. There is a need for international and intercultural networking events that consolidate cooperative collaboration in crisis situations and produce innovative processes, which will be particularly promoted at this year's event.

The aim of the event "International Cooperations in Science, Economics and Politics" is to offer DAAD alumni, researchers and representatives from the industry a platform for intercultural exchange on science-oriented research topics. You can find the programme under the following link.

Within the framework of the training and networking event organised by WHZ and KAFU, the methodological and professional competences of the alumni will be expanded on a variety of research aspects from the fields of transnational research relations, e-learning, project management, digital transformation and sustainability. In addition, the alumni will have the opportunity to network with top-class representatives from industry, researchers and each other.

In addition to the training concept, alumni will have the opportunity to visit KAFU's laboratory facilities and get to know regional companies and Kazakh culture. Furthermore, numerous contacts can be made with other alumni, professors, staff, representatives from industry and students across disciplines and universities.

The aim is to jointly find new approaches for joint projects both in the field of research and development (including international projects for small and medium-sized enterprises) and in the field of education in order to improve the international transfer of knowledge. This will strengthen the networking of the international alumni and the resulting use of synergy effects globally and sustainably.

Within the framework of the Alumni Week, the travel and accommodation costs of the participants will be financially supported within the limits of maximum amounts. Please note the following requirements & general conditions.

We are very much looking forward to your application. Please use the following link.

Application deadline is 09.07.2023.

The application deadline will be followed by a selection procedure which will cover professional, personal and organisational aspects and will take at least two weeks. You will then receive feedback from us.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Best regards

Your organisation team

The Alumni Week is organised by the KAFU - Kazakh-American Free University and the WHZ - University of Applied Sciences Zwickau and lead by Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Dr. h.c. mult. H.-Christian Brauweiler. We would like to thank the DAAD as well as the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development - BMZ and the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany for their financial support.

Subject to change without notice!