Build­ing and main­tain­ing co­oper­a­tions

Many of our cooperations with partner universities are based on personal contacts and live from encounters among colleagues. In recent years, some lecturers have been able to use their connections to colleagues at universities abroad for new cooperation agreements. The International Office supports you in establishing and maintaining cooperations for student exchange.

Initiation and contact trips to initiate and maintain cooperations that serve student exchange can be sponsored by the Paderborn University Presidential Board's Internationalisation Fund. Further details are set out in the guidelines for the funding of measures from the Internationalisation Fund.

The most important regulations from the guideline (the wording of the guideline is decisive for the application):

How do I apply for funding from the Internationalisation Fund? The application for funding from the Internationalisation Fund must be submitted to the Head of the International Office (Global Cooperations) or the Erasmus Coordinator. The application can be submitted by email. The confirmation of the dean can be attached as an email. Further supporting documents and explanations are generally not required.

What travel purposes can be funded? Establishing contact with cooperation partners abroad, negotiating a cooperation agreement with partners abroad, coordinating curricula, further developing joint study programmes, deepening existing joint programmes with partners abroad, preparing joint sponsorships to promote student exchange, extending, expanding or terminating a cooperation agreement, signing cooperation agreements or participating in signings. Further details are set out in the guidelines.

Which travel purposes are not funded? Research projects, participation in conferences, visits to libraries, archives and museums, preparation of publications, excursions, study trips, lecture tours. Please note the information in the guidelines on pro rata funding for various travel purposes.

Who may submit an application? Only professors at Paderborn University. You can also submit an application for employees. The approval of the Dean is always required. Further details can be found in the guidelines.

Who is allowed to travel? All travellers must have a contractual employment relationship with Paderborn University and be able to submit a business trip application (i.e. no SHK, lecturers, etc.). Further details are set out in the guidelines.

How many people are allowed to travel? As a rule, only one person is sponsored. Exceptions are regulated by the guidelines.

How much funding is available? Outside the Erasmus area max. 2,500 euros, within the Erasmus area (as well as for Great Britain and Switzerland) max. 1,000 euros. Further details can be found in the guidelines.

When must the application be submitted? At least 6 weeks before your stay.

How do I calculate the expenses for the trip? Please refer to the pages of the travel expenses centre for information on the general conditions of business trips and the calculation of daily allowances abroad and maximum hotel costs. If the exact costs are not yet known, costs can be estimated within the framework of the general provisions for business trips. Only costs that have been applied for will be authorised.

What expenses can be authorised? All costs eligible for reimbursement under the travel expenses law can be authorised. In principle, only costs that have been applied for will be authorised. There will be no subsequent calculation! Make sure that you enter the correct daily allowances (see foreign daily allowance) and do not exceed the maximum limits for overnight stays. It may be necessary to consult with the travel expenses office and provide a separate justification in the application.

Promotion of congress and lecture trips: Presenting your own research results at foreign institutions is an important instrument for professional networking. As a rule, Paderborn University does not sponsor these directly. However, the DAAD supports this type of international mobility. Successful applications for active (lecture or poster) participation in specialist conferences abroad are supported with grants towards travel costs, accommodation costs and conference fees; for lecture trips abroad, grants towards travel costs can be applied for. The DAAD provides information about the programme. Further information on the programme and the application procedure can be found in the DAAD scholarship database.

Do you want to carry out a cooperation project with your partners abroad? Direct funding by Paderborn University is only possible in exceptional cases. However, the DAAD supports international projects with project funding programmes. You can find all DAAD funding opportunities in the DAAD project funding database.

Paderborn University can support digital forms of cooperation or blended learning from third-party funds and via DAAD programmes.

The International Office can subsidise catering for foreign guests on request. This applies exclusively to hospitality for individual visitors or small groups of visitors in the context of maintaining co-operations (no conferences, meetings, research groups, summer schools, etc.)

Under certain circumstances, the short-term accommodation of guests as part of the initiation and maintenance of collaborations can be sponsored by the Paderborn University Presidential Board's Internationalisation Fund. Further details can be found in the guidelines for funding measures from the Internationalisation Fund.

Reasons for Paderborn University to cover the costs of the stay can be considerable financial difficulties in the partner country or at the partner institution (eligibility criteria: DAC list ) or an outstanding, university-wide interest in the partnership. The Vice President for Business and Human Resources Administration decides on eligibility for funding on a case-by-case basis.

As a rule, each partner in a co-operation bears its own costs. The partner's accommodation costs are therefore

  • a) only in exceptional cases,
  • b) must be justified in detail and
  • c) is limited to the accommodation costs on site (hotel costs, possibly overnight accommodation).

Applications for funding for the stay of guests cannot be submitted by the guests themselves. Billing is handled exclusively by the applicants. The reimbursement rules of the NRW State Travel Expenses Act apply.

Application procedure: Written application to the International Office(forms) at least 6 weeks before the stay. Funding is approved by the Vice President / Presidential Board via the International Office. Further details are set out in the relevant guidelines.

Every year, numerous visiting academics come to Paderborn University for co-operation and research purposes. They can be accommodated in the university's guest house .

Training courses on internationalisation and other internationalisation events (e.g. trade fairs) can be funded from the Paderborn University Presidential Board's Internationalisation Fund. Further details can be found in the guidelines for the funding of measures from the Internationalisation Fund.

Participation in events that focus on promoting internationalisation, primarily trade fairs and training courses, is eligible for funding.

Participation in trade fairs is eligible for funding if more than one subject area or faculty of Paderborn University is represented and

  • a) the aim is to establish contacts for student exchange or
  • b) the fair serves to attract students and
  • c) Paderborn University is represented at an exhibition stand or
  • d) Paderborn University is demonstrably advertised as a study location in another way.

In addition, participation in events such as

  • a) external training courses, conferences and congresses that focus on the internationalisation of universities, e.g. at the DAAD (this refers in particular to training courses at the DAAD Academy),
  • b) virtual formats that focus on the internationalisation of universities or serve the exchange or recruitment of international students (participation in virtual fairs, webinars, etc.).

The Vice President for Business and Human Resources Administration decides on eligibility for funding on a case-by-case basis. The measure must serve the university as a whole and not individual subject areas or faculties.

Eligible for funding: UPB academics. All participants must have a contractual employment relationship with Paderborn University and be able to submit a business trip application (i.e. no SHK, lecturers, etc.). Further details are regulated by the guidelines.

Application procedure: written application to the International Office(forms) at least 6 weeks before the event The funding approval is made by the Vice President / the Presidential Board via the International Office.

Excursions with student groups can be supported under the following conditions:

  • Objective: Excursions abroad that are interdisciplinary in character, primarily serve intercultural understanding and are open to students from several subject areas
  • Only excursions to countries within or outside Europe are sponsored. Excursions within Germany are not eligible for funding.
  • No student trips are supported. Only excursions under academic supervision are eligible for funding.
  • Only excursions that are interdisciplinary in nature will be sponsored. The interdisciplinary character must be clearly demonstrated.
  • Pure block seminars that do not have the character of an excursion (in the sense of sightseeing, visits, intercultural exchange, etc.) are not eligible for funding.
  • Support amounts to up to €50 per person within Europe (= Erasmus+ area as well as Switzerland and the UK)
  • Support amounts to €50 to €100 per person outside Europe (depending on total travel costs and duration of the trip)
  • Up to 20 enrolled students and one person as academic supervisor will be supported.
  • The students must be enrolled at Paderborn University. The academic supervisor must be employed by Paderborn University.

The application is made informally by e-mail, stating

  • the (approximate) total costs after deduction of all other grants,
  • the (approximate) remaining personal contribution per student,
  • the exact number of travellers.

Invoicing is done directly via the travel expenses office. A list of participants and the original receipts must be submitted with the invoice. Further information on the preparation and invoicing of excursions can be found on the Travel Expenses Office website.

Con­tact us

Stefan Schwan

International Office

Room I4.128
Paderborn University
Warburger Str. 100
33098 Paderborn

Office hours

by appointment