The Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society is part of a growing European network that has committed itself to an important goal: In the long term, at least one university from as many European countries as possible should be part of the network in order to create innovative forms of international cooperation in studies and education. As part of this network, Christiane Weinerth and Jacob Wolff from the Departments of Services & Consulting were guests at Aydin University in Istanbul in May 2025. There they met colleagues from eight other European countries - all united by the common goal of developing new Blended Intensive Programs (BIP) and deepening existing collaborations. The focus of the meeting was on the programme "Promoting global partnerships - sharing best practices in internationalization and collaboration".
In addition to the content-related work, the focus was also on personal encounters.
"Through the intensive professional exchange and the well-structured workshops, the togetherness also grew - not least thanks to the lovingly designed cultural and social program, which Mariana Astefano (Istanbul Aydin University, Turkey) organized with great care," reports Christiane Weinerth.
Stef Mannaerts and Eline Delauré (University Colleges Leuven-Limburg, Belgium), who led the program as co-hosts, provided the central theme of the week. With a great deal of commitment, clever questions and a keen sense of group processes, they succeeded in engaging the participants and motivating them to actively participate.
At the end of the week, a common idea emerged: an interdisciplinary BIP program that appeals to students from different disciplines - opening up new perspectives and providing practical insights.
A prospect that we are particularly looking forward to: In May 2026, the third international BIP meeting will take place at HWG Ludwigshafen under the title "Promoting Global Partnerships - Deepening International Cooperation". We will then welcome our European partner universities to Ludwigshafen - and continue the exchange where academic cooperation meets trust and future orientation.
This commitment shows that Europe is also growing closer together in the field of education - with passion, a wealth of ideas and a lively connection across borders.
