RWTH Wins in "Research Alumni Strategies" Competition
In 2011, RWTH was among the prize recipients of the idea competition "Research Alumni at German Universities," awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. RWTH's research alumni work has now been honored for its sustainability as part of the competition. The continual integration and inclusion of research alumni in existing university activities and structures will be funded with 30000 Euros by the Federal Ministry of Research.
Visiting researchers come to RWTH institutes through different programs every year to do research and teach. Upon their return to the home country, they become valuable multipliers for the university as so called research alumni. They can garner junior researchers' interest in RWTH and Germany with their experiences and support the creation of new worldwide research and university collaborations.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation honored the best ideas for how universities can work together with research alumni long term in the 2014 Research Alumni Strategy competition. The winners include 16 universities and three research institutions. RWTH is among the universities with experience in alumni work and particularly sustainable strategies.
RWTH was honored for its research lifey cycle as the foundation for the successful address, mentoring, and follow-up contact with visiting researchers. Researcher mentoring and researcher-alumni work supplement one another, and the contact points for visiting researchers work together closely before and during their research stay at RWTH. "The competition and the resulting initiatives at our universities promote our internationalization in an outstanding manner," emphasizes Rector Ernst Schmachtenberg.
The competition is part of the project International Research Marketing for Germany, conducted by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service, the German Research Foundation, and the Fraunhofer Association. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It is part of the Research in Germany initiative.