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Sunset at the North Campus © Roland Baege​/​TU Dortmund
India Gateway

New TU Dortmund University Initiative Focuses on India

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Photo: A group of people stand on a stage watching a man in a suit cut a red ribbon with a pair of scissors. © Kaushik Photos
Attended the initiative’s kick-off meeting in New Delhi (from left to right): Maneesha Jakku (In-Country Representative of TU Dortmund University), Silke Viol (International Office), Priya S. Nayar (Executive Director, UA Ruhr Liaison Office New York), Professor Tessa Flatten (Vice President International Affairs), Dr. Philipp Ackermann (German Ambassador to India), Professor Manfred Bayer (President of TU Dortmund University), Professor Gerhard Schembecker (Vice President Finance) and Thomas Oeldemann (Executive Assistant).
With “India Gateway”, TU Dortmund University aims to create a framework for long-term partnerships with Indian universities. In mid-January, Professor Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University, presented the initiative at the German Embassy in New Delhi, India’s capital city. The aim is to foster research collaboration, encourage Indian students to pursue a Master’s degree at TU Dortmund University and give domestic students in Germany a better understanding of India as a global economic partner.

To kick off the initiative, a 12-strong delegation from TU Dortmund University traveled to the German Embassy in New Delhi to network with scientists from leading Indian universities and research institutions. At the official opening ceremony, Dr. Philipp Ackermann, the German Ambassador to India, symbolically cut a red ribbon to mark the start of the initiative. “India is one of the most dynamic countries worldwide in terms of science and innovation,” highlighted Professor Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University. “With our initiative in situ, we are creating a framework for long-term partnerships in research and study, and at the same time strengthening our university’s internationality.”

Photo: Prof. Manfred Bayer (Rector of TU Dortmund University) stands at a lectern in front of an audience and gives a speech. © Kaushik Photos

The aim, he continued, is to set joint international research projects in motion, facilitate exchange visits by researchers and students, and encourage particularly capable graduates of Bachelor’s degree programs in India to study at TU Dortmund University. Since June 2025, TU Dortmund University has had an In-Country Representative in India to put these plans into practice over the longer term. What’s more, the university now numbers among the main supporters of the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) in New Delhi, and Arthur Rapp, director of the regional office of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), presented a certificate to this effect.

Scientific exchange in various disciplines

The kick-off meeting centered on direct exchange between researchers. Scientists from TU Dortmund University engaged with Indian and US colleagues within various formats to sound out common interests, identify opportunities for trilateral collaboration and discuss both engineering and natural science topics as well as social and economic questions. Overall, 18 different Indian universities and research institutions were represented, including the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay).

“Personal exchange, above all, is the deciding factor for building trust and developing long-term partnerships,” stressed Professor Tessa Flatten, Vice President International Affairs at TU Dortmund University. “The ‘India Gateway’ initiative launched by TU Dortmund University aims to create a sound foundation for supporting and expanding these contacts in a systematic way.”

Fostering students’ international and intercultural experience

Another of the initiative’s goals is to attract particularly competent Indian students for the English-taught Master’s degree programs at TU Dortmund University and train them as qualified professionals for the German labor market. Over the past years, the number of Indian students on campus has continuously risen and now stands at about 500. Engineering and natural sciences are particularly popular among this target group.

Apart from that, the initiative will offer students from TU Dortmund University the opportunity to develop their intercultural skills and familiarize themselves better with India. After all, the country is not only the world’s fifth-largest economy but also experiencing the strongest growth worldwide. To offer students low-threshold access at the beginning, there will be a wider choice of short-term exchange programs in the future, which are intended to awaken interest in longer stays. “In an increasingly complex world, our students should also take countries and regions into consideration that have not been in the spotlight of exchange programs in the past,” said Flatten. “India is playing an increasingly significant role in this context – both as an important location for science and as an economic partner.”

Guest lectures by representatives of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) abroad and the German Research Foundation (DFG) in India, who informed the audience about research and mobility programs with an international focus, rounded off the program. International networking with the subcontinent also offers potential for the Ruhr Innovation Lab jointly operated by TU Dortmund University and Ruhr University Bochum (RUB).

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