At the meeting in Kouvola, after reviewing current news at the different campuses, the upcoming summer school in July 2024 was finally discussed and any remaining questions were clarified. This year it will be organised by The Hague University. This was followed by the results of the working groups. One group had thought about the realignment of IBSEN’s vision and mission. Another group reported on a series of seminars on entrepreneurship (starting winter semester 2024), whereby the member universities can register their lecturers and students. This would be a first example of a certificate of the IBSEN network. As in every meeting, funding possibilities were also discussed, and deadlines agreed.

Content-related inputs from the host university included a keynote speech on the efforts in the field of entrepreneurship, the use of a business game simulation in teaching and a presentation of the student magazine (Insider) of the departments. A workshop and some impulses on the topic of AI from a company and a member of the university rounded off the meeting.

The exchange in the unofficial formats such as the joint sauna visit after the first meeting day consolidated the fruitful discussions, which led to many great ideas and initiated projects

As always, the trip was worthwhile, and many to-dos were taken back with us. On behalf of IBSEN, I would like to thank the XAMK organisers, especially Sara, Mia, Hugh and Ari. With your great organisation we had very nice days in Kouvola with many memorable experiences. The preparations for the next meeting in Canada have already begun…

Prof. Dr. Riza Öztürk
Dean Bielefeld School of Business

Text: Riza Öztürk (edited Hugh Clack)
Photos: Hugh Clack

On 4 and 5 May 2023, the Czech University of Life Sciences (CZU) will host the next IBSEN meeting. The last IBSEN meeting was held in November in beautiful Florida, where the Indian River State College hosted for the first time as the youngest member (see photo), but it felt like the university had always been in the network.

The Prague partner university CZU has organised a full programme for the members. Two special programme items should be highlighted:

First, the first IBSEN Summer School is coming up. It will take place in July 2023 for a fortnight at the Bielefeld and Prague locations. It will be organised jointly by the CZU and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts. A total of 26 students from seven of the ten universities will participate.

The second important point is the application of a new candidate for the network. The University of Split is interested in joining the network. We are looking forward to the two days… 🙂

The November Meeting took place virtually again on November 15th and 16th. The Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences hosted it. After the welcome speeches by the IBSEN president Alessandro Spano, Vice President Armand van Oostrom, and the Dean of the BUAS Business Faculty Riza Öztürk, the meeting started by presenting IBSEN member universities current status and discussing the to-dos from the last May 2021 meeting. The Head of the BUAS Department of International Affairs, Judith Peltz, gave an excellent overview of the E+ Generation (2021-2027). She pointed out that one Erasmus program for the entire IBSEN network would be very complicated. Her suggestion was to work on a bilateral/ trilateral/ four// five lateral basis and include other members through workshops and publications. Furthermore, she signalized that ERASMUS projects need “high maintenance projects”, reports and bureaucracy and are usually not fully funded, so additional resources are required. She also introduced us to the new features regarding the “Next Generation E+”.

Finally, Judith Peltz announced the International Week that her department is organizing from 2-6 May next year.

Riza Öztürk presented the International Conference of the Business Faculty of BUAS called “Bielefeld International Conference on Applied Business (BIcab)“, which will take place on the last day of International Week 6 May 2022. Both events can therefore be combined very well.

Intensive work was done in two workshops over two days. In the IBSEN Summer Schools Workshop, the individual points that belong to a Summer School were discussed, and the basics were determined, such as the name, period, format and credits. The IBSEN Summer School is to be called “Go IBSEN School”. The IBSEN Summer School is to be held in rotation by all member universities. The minimum number of participants should be 12 students.

In the other workshop, joint projects and teaching were debated. It was determined that before developing a double degree, shared history is needed. You have to get to know each other and already have a common student and staff exchange. “Before we get married, we need to be engaged”, president Alessandro Spano said. The focus was, therefore, on what we could offer for the students. The core theme should be on international business and intercultural aspects. When students from different nations work together, they develop these skills. Possible attractive topics for students could be: Data analytics and Big data, Blockchain. Both workshops concluded that the combination of face-to-face and online activities is the best way to proceed.

At the next meeting in The Hague in May 2022, both groups will make concrete proposals on how to proceed.

IBSEN Meeting: 15th to 16 November 2021