Srinagar, April 10: SKUAST-K and DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) are jointly hosting a workshop on “Internationalisation of Higher Education—Cooperation Management” at SKUAST-K from April 10 to 11.
During the workshop, the Regional Director of DAAD India, Dr Katja Lasch, and Senior Advisor, Shikha Sinha, spoke in detail about cooperation management, funding mechanisms, and the development of international programmes with the European Union, particularly Germany.
The workshop participants include Deans and Directors of International Affairs from IIT Andhra Pradesh, Osmania University, BITS Pilani, NIT Warangal, Tezpur University, St. Stephen’s College Delhi, and SKUAST-K, among others. Throughout the workshop, DAAD representatives and participants will deliberate on establishing best practices in internationalisation in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), development, management and monitoring of DAAD projects, as well as case studies presented by participating institutions such as BITS, Osmania, NIT Warangal, and SKUAST-K. Issues and challenges in operating international offices will also be addressed.
The inaugural function was presided over by Prof Nazir A. Ganai, Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-K. In his address, he emphasised strengthening cooperation between SKUAST-K and German institutions in building joint academic and research programmes, and facilitating faculty and student mobility initiatives. The DAAD Regional Director outlined various academic and research partnership opportunities facilitated by DAAD, assuring that the two institutions will identify specific areas of mutual collaboration.
It is pertinent to mention that this is the first workshop of its kind in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. SKUAST-K was selected as the host venue due to its demonstrated leadership in the internationalisation of education over the past five years. The university has established robust academic and research collaborations with leading global institutions and has sponsored more than 200 faculty members and students to overseas institutions. This has helped SKUAST-K create an enabling ecosystem, allowing its faculty and students to secure placements in prestigious global institutions for graduate studies and fellowships. The Directors of International Offices from the participating institutions also shared reflections on the opportunities and challenges associated with promoting internationalisation. The inaugural function was attended by all Directors, Deans, Heads of Departments, and students of SKUAST-K.
