In­ter­na­tion­al Re­la­tions Of­fice

Paderborn University aims at connecting the different areas of study and teaching, research and administration, and promotes communication and information about central internationalisation measures through a variety of offers. For example, a project group "Internationalisation and Digitisation" was set up, which meets regularly and discusses the latest developments regarding internationalisation at UPB. The event series "International Tuesdays" provides regular information about the numerous individual actors and measures of internationalisation at the university during the lecture period.

The Welcome Services at Paderborn University support international researchers and employees, as well as their UPB hosts, in the process of preparing and organising their stay at UPB.

→ Welcome Services

Paderborn University's campus is characterised by interculturality and diversity. In order to further expand its welcome culture, Paderborn University has set itself the goal of providing key information and documents for international students and academics in English and in German. By translating key German texts into English, post-editing machine-generated English translations, and proofreading English-language content, the Translation Office supports the ongoing internationalisation process.

→ Translation Office

Since January 2024, Paderborn University has been coordinating the European University Alliance COLOURS - one of currently 50 university alliances funded by the European Commission as part of the European University Initiative.

The so-called "European University Alliances" are regarded as "flagships" in the transformation process of European universities - and the coordination of such an alliance here in Paderborn offers an exciting opportunity for all of us – for students, researchers and administrative staff. With the support of our eight partner universities from France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Croatia, North Macedonia and Latvia, we have some interesting but also challenging years ahead of us. Together, we will develop innovative teaching and learning formats, create attractive mobility programmes for students and staff and work closely with non-university partners in nine European regions.

Further information: /en/university/international-relations/colours-alliance

The International Relations Office is also responsible for the coordination and implementation of various international projects. For example, Paderborn University has joined forces with six other European higher education institutions to form the higher education alliance COLOURS in 2021 and is planning totake part in the HRK audit "Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions." It also works closely with numerous actors in the field of internationalisation, not only at UPB. This includes, for example, the "Campus OWL" liaison office in New York City.

Further information on the various projects or cooperations can be found here:

• HRK Audit "Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions
• COLOURS Alliance
• Technical-Intercultural China Competence Centre (TiCK)
• Campus OWL New York - Liaison Office New York

Keeping in touch with international graduates and alumni is important to UPB and an integral part of its strategic development. One of the tasks of the International Relations Office is to establish and expand an international alumni network with the goal to create a lively UPB community that spans countries and generations from which everyone can benefit - for life.

→ The portal for UPB alumni can be found here.