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Four people are talking to each other in front of a window. © Felix Schmale​/​TU Dortmund
LONG-STANDING COOPERATION

TU Dortmund University and Lehigh University Expand Partnership

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Two women in formal dress sit at a table and sign documents in brown folders. © Christa Neu​/​Lehigh University
Joint signing of a memorandum of understanding on further cooperation: Dr. Cheryl Matherly (left), Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh University, and Professor Tessa Flatten (right), Vice President International Affairs.

Lehigh University in the US and TU Dortmund University have been partners in research projects and student exchange programs since 1999. At the end of October, a delegation from Dortmund visited the partner university in Pennsylvania for a joint conference and a symposium on regional development. In addition, Professor Tessa Flatten, Vice President International Affairs, and Dr. Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh University, signed a memorandum of understanding.

Like the Ruhr area, the Lehigh Valley metropolitan region has seen a socio-economic transformation over the past decades: Following the decline and closure of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the region’s economic landscape changed. Against this background, the two universities are exploring the role of entrepreneurship in their respective regions, as these have experienced similar challenges. Both universities also support local transfer between science and business. That is why researchers from the partner universities put their heads together during the two-day conference to see how universities can contribute to boosting regional economic development.

Joint transfer activities

The delegation from TU Dortmund University comprised professors from the Department of Business and Economics as well as representatives from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Transfer (CET) and TU capital GmbH. Together with US representatives from academia, business and society, they discussed strategies to support entrepreneurial endeavors in Lehigh Valley and the Ruhr region.

People in suits sit at group tables in a large room. In the background, a row of people sit facing the audience. A man in a suit stands next to them and speaks to the audience.
The partner universities’ symposium explored how universities can contribute to regional development by supporting entrepreneurship.

One group looked at the role of international students and researchers in entrepreneurship. In addition, the researchers from TU Dortmund University and Lehigh University thought about how their transfer activities could profit from closer cooperation and how students might access the entrepreneurship courses at both universities. Professor Tessa Flatten, Vice President International Affairs, found the productive exchange between the partner universities very satisfying: “People who face the same challenges speak the same language. The discussions we had in the workshops have laid the foundation for innovative and goal-oriented results that can shape the partnership between our two universities in the long term.”

Agreement on further collaboration

Among the goals for start-up activities that the universities’ representatives have set themselves are, for example, a joint database of current regional issues for students interested in starting a business, which they can use to identify market niches. There are also plans to introduce a short exchange program for such budding entrepreneurs. The universities also want to share best practice strategies that can help doctoral students to commercialize their research results.

In addition, and with the aim of intensifying cooperation, TU Dortmund University and Lehigh University reaffirmed their long-standing partnership by signing a memorandum of understanding. “Both universities are very keen to collaborate even more. The fact that TU Dortmund University and Lehigh University have been partners now for almost 25 years is proof of our mutual esteem and great trust. Our aim is to continue advancing important projects together in the future,” said Professor Tessa Flatten. “Lehigh University is a strategically valuable transatlantic partner, and our students are very interested in spending an exchange semester there. Both sides can also benefit in the area of research from this refreshing of our cooperation agreement.” Professor Tessa Flatten signed the memorandum together with her colleague Dr. Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh University.

 

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