Ever since it opened its doors in 1975, the University of Bayreuth has been resolutely pursuing strategic international cooperation, including collaboration with Australian universities. Bayreuth researchers are currently working together with eight higher education institutions in Australia (four of them located in Melbourne) in a number of different disciplines. Embedded in the current trend to pursue extended and intensified German-Australian cooperation in science and business, the University of Bayreuth opened the doors of its Gateway Office in the offices of the Australian-German Energy Transition Hub at the University of Melbourne on 26 June 2018.
“Our office in Melbourne will enable us to provide better support for our researchers and students during their time Down Under”, explained University President Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible. The office will not only assist with issues relating to studies, but also, for example, with visa-related matters or in searching for internships or Apartments.
“But this also applies vice versa: The establishment of our Gateway Office may even bring our university to the attention of Australian students for the very first time. Our office in Melbourne will also be a great help to anyone planning to visit us in Bayreuth”, added Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheibel, Vice President of International Affairs at the University of Bayreuth.
Responsibilities of Bayreuth’s Gateway Office
Following the launch of its first Gateway Office in Shanghai in April 2016, the new office in Melbourne is now the University of Bayreuth’s second Gateway Office. The responsibilities of the office in Melbourne are as follows:
- point of contact and information to facilitate the exchange of students and instructors between Bayreuth and Australia- strengthening collaboration in research and teaching
- assisting in recruiting and selecting qualified Australian students and doctoral researchers to come to Bayreuth
- establishing and maintaining contact with the University of Bayreuth’s regional networks in Oceania
- alumni services
Additional Information
Australia is a strategic location for the internationalization of the University of Bayreuth. The University of Bayreuth has been engaged in intensive collaboration with universities in Australia for many years. The focus is on Melbourne: the University of Melbourne, Monash University, La Trobe University, and the Swinburne University of Technology. However, the University also partners with Sydney (University of Technology Sydney), Newcastle (University of Newcastle), Brisbane (Queensland University of Technology), the Sunshine Coast (University of the Sunshine Coast), and Perth (University of Western Australia). The emphasis of cooperation is on student and staff mobility in addition to research collaboration. The subject areas involved in the cooperation include sport science, law, economics, energy and environmental research, the natural sciences, materials science, and Engineering.
The University of Bayreuth at a glance
Founded in 1975, the University of Bayreuth is currently one of Germany’s most successful young universities. In the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings, it is ranked 30th among the 250 best young universities in the world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching is the main feature of the university’s 151 degree programmes offered by six faculties covering the natural sciences, engineering, law, economics, languages, literature, and cultural studies. The University of Bayreuth has around 13,400 students, roughly 1,200 academic staff members, 240 professors, and around 950 non-academic staff members. It is the largest employer in the region.
