COVID-19 Impact on under- and postgraduate academic exchange, Online Event, February 2021

On 5th of February 2021, the Business Council had the pleasure of hosting an online event with Katharina McGrath, Director of the DAAD Information Centre in Sydney, and Christian Strowa, Head of Section “Scholarship Programmes Asia and the Pacific” at the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Bonn. The DAAD is a self-governing organisation comprised of German higher education institutions and their student bodies and constitutes one of the largest funding bodies for academic exchange worldwide. Since it was founded in 1925, the DAAD has supported more than 2.6 million academics in Germany and abroad. It relies on a strong organisational structure, a worldwide network of partners and alumni and a motivated staff of over 900 employees.

Christian Strowa provided a structural overview and explained DAAD’s mission from an operational point of view. He introduced the DAAD’s current strategic goals: promote excellence in education and science through international exchange, enhance international collaboration and promote global responsibility and development through “change by exchange”, the DAAD’s motto. He also introduced the pillars of the German research sector from a funding point of view. Detailed figures were provided on international student exchange and the current measures in place in view of Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Katharina McGrath outlined scholarships and funding opportunities for exchanges from Australia to Germany and spoke about the current situation of Australian universities with regards to international exchange during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines may allow exchanges to resume in the near future but new opportunities to build deeper connections have accelerated through virtual tools in the meantime.

If you have interest in watching the webinar, please contact our office for access to a recording.