The International Network University
Networking and career development: Freie Universität gets students involved in its regional and international networks right from the outset. Source: Peter Himsel
Distinguished in the German government’s Excellence Initiative in 2007, Freie Universität has successfully implemented its institutional strategy “International Network University”: The university’s networks in the core areas of the promotion of junior researchers, research development, and internationalization have been greatly expanded. The subsequent proposal “Veritas – Iustitia - Libertas. The International Network University” emphasizes the further development of the network model.
The success of the three established strategic centers and their liaison offices around the world becomes apparent in the increase in activities, their international visibility, and the rising number of international students and researchers.
Building upon existing structures, the subsequent proposal emphasizes establishing a basis for excellence in research from the beginning and attracting outstanding postdocs to Freie Universität. To achieve these goals, the three foci from the first funding period will be amended by a regional component. The inclusion of Freie Universität into a regional network will be focused and intensified within the research campus in Berlin-Dahlem through partnerships with selected regional non-university research institutions. In addition to the intensified regional focus, Freie Universität aims to improve the quality of international university partnerships though its strategy of “Primary Partnerships.”
Regional and international dimensions of the network interlock closely. They achieve synergies, particularly in the promotion of junior researchers through the career-path model. Here, the strategic centers have distinct responsibilities. With the implementation of the career path model, Freie Universität is introducing new dimensions for the promotion of young researchers and international and regional cooperation.
Through transporting the core values of Veritas – Iustitia – Libertas into the expansion of academic networks, Freie Universität is reacting to the challenges of a globalized world while retaining and securing the superb quality of its research.
