Knowledge security

Guidelines and standards for international university cooperation

International cooperation is indispensable to German universities; international networking provides vital stimulus for innovation in teaching, learning and research. The HRK guidelines and standards emphasise these opportunities, but also give substantial consideration to the challenges and risks international cooperation may pose to the integrity of national structures. In the tension between opportunities and risks, it is important to proactively identify realms of possibility for cooperation, without jeopardising our own values and standards in the process. The HRK addresses this need with the guidelines and standards for international university cooperation that have now been adopted. The country-agnostic fundamental principles and values around the various dimensions of international cooperation are designed to provide key players – both the universities as institutions and the individual members of universities – with support and orientation on the ground when setting up and maintaining resilient university partnerships.

Guiding questions on university cooperation with the People’s Republic of China

To future-proof German-Chinese partnerships the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) approved guiding questions on university partnerships with the People’s Republic of China. They complement the general guidelines and standards for international partnerships, which the HRK formulated. The new publication sets out necessary and optional courses of action specific to the cooperation with China. It is designed to provide both universities as institutions and individual university members with stimulus, support and orientation in the establishment and further development of resilient partnerships with Chinese universities and academic institutions.