In addition to a large number of direct partnerships and exchange programmes which help students to go abroad, the University of Konstanz is also (founding) member of several networks which have worked to expand university connections internationally in the past few years. These networks in both research and teaching nurture new scientific discoveries by creating synergies, involving new perspectives and promoting knowledge transfer.
Lake Constance Arts & Science Association
New international students, who will begin their winter semester at an member university of the Lake Constance Arts & Science Association, are invited to take an intensive German language course in August at the University of Konstanz. The course is offered at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels. An accompanying programme takes place in the afternoon and on individual weekend dates. It includes lectures about history, art, culture and politics as well as (city) tours and excursions to sites in the Lake Constance region. We also visit the participants’ universities. The Summer School is organised by Lake Constance Arts & Science Association in cooperation with the University of Konstanz’s International Office and Language Institute (SLI).
The AG Ausland (international working group) organises four annual excursions for international (and local) students at the member universities. These excursions focus on cities, history, culture, politics and nature at rotating locations in the Lake Constance region and offer students new insights into their study location. The International Offices of each member university take turns organising the events. Well-organised logistics are used to take participants from their respective universities to each Cultural Rotation Event. Thus, students from any university within the Lake Constance Arts & Science Association can take part, and the travel time gives participating students the opportunity to get to know each other.
Network for Transatlantic Cooperation
The Network for Transatlantic Cooperation was created in the summer of 2004 at the initiative of the rector at the time, Gerhart von Graevenitz. Its objective was to consolidate the existing exchange relationships and cooperation agreements between the humanities at the University of Konstanz and top US universities in a collaborative network.
Current and former partners in the Network for Transatlantic Cooperation are or were:
- University of Chicago
- Yale University
- University of California, Berkeley
- Princeton University
- Harvard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- University of Pittsburgh
- New York University NYU
- Columbia University, New York
Franco-German University (DFH)
The Franco-German University (DFH), a network of French and German universities, was founded in 1997. The University of Konstanz has been a member of the DFH since it was created.
Turkish-German University (TDU)
The Turkish-German University has brought Turkish and German research and teaching together since 2013. The TDU has a campus in Istanbul, where students can earn bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The programmes are taught in German and English. The University of Konstanz is one of its founding members.
Rotterdam Law Network
The Rotterdam Law Network was founded in 1995 on the initiative of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Not only is the University of Konstanz a founding member, but also the only representative of the German academic landscape.
The aim of the Rotterdam Law Network is cultivating existing and establishing new contacts between the law departments of the member universities. Since its formation, the Rotterdam Law Network has grown to include more than 30 member universities. These include universities from EU member states, EU candidate states as well as from the European Economic Area. The Network is steadily growing by gaining new members.
Activities of the Network encompass an exchange on all levels: student exchange, staff and teaching mobility as well as an annual meeting, the “Rotterdam Law Network Meeting”, which in 2016 was held in Konstanz for the first time. Participants of the annual meetings comprise deans, professors and international coordinators of the law faculties of the member universities. These reflect the Network’s aspiration to simultaneously function on a scientific, political and administrative level.
European Network of Academic Integrity (ENAI)
The main purpose of the association European Network of Academic Integrity (ENAI) of is to support higher education institutions to work together in the field of academic integrity. The objectives of ENAI are to promote integrity in whole academia (i.e. education, research and other aspects of academic sector).
ENAI was founded in 2017 by the cooperation partners of the Erasmus+ project named ENAI (2016-2019) as part of its strategy for sustainability. The initially responsible department within the University of Konstanz is the Communication, Information, Media Centre (KIM).
Contact: Petra Hätscher, Dr. Oliver Trevisiol and Ansgar Schäfer
Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study (NetIAS)
NetIAS brings together 23 Institutes for Advanced Study across Europe. It was created in 2004 to stimulate a dialogue on IAS practices and possible forms of cooperation. NetIAS members share the objective of creating international and multidisciplinary learning communities. This openness and the freedom the fellows enjoy for their researches serve to promote scientific and intellectual exchanges. IAS tend to break from the intellectual routines, thus fostering the emergence of new perspectives, approaches and paradigms.
While sharing a common vision concerning the freedom of research, and representing an alternative to the national institutions of higher education and research, the IAS offer a considerable diversity in terms of fellowship conditions. Furthermore, their scientific policies are characterized by different thematic or geographical orientations, a diverse openness to natural and hard sciences, or a special commitment to promoting early career researchers.
The Zukunftskolleg has been a member of NetIAS since 2018.
University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study (UBIAS)
UBIAS is a network of 44 university-based Institutes for Advanced Study worldwide. Initiated in 2010, the network was established to enable structured forms of exchange in this growing segment, including biennial conferences and joint programmes between partner institutes. Unlike traditional Institutes for Advanced Study, UBIAS institutes are associated with or embedded within a university, and actively contribute to the academic culture and the scientific achievements of their home university. UBIAS is committed to equality, inclusivity and diversity.
For the Zukunftskolleg, this membership offers new links to partners around the world and fosters networking between similar institutes for new ideas and best practices. For the fellows of the Zukunftskolleg, it provides first-hand contact to renowned institutes around the world and encourages collaborations with international research partners.
The Zukunftskolleg has been a member of UBIAS since 2018.