The combination of academic teaching and practical project work is considered the recipe for success of german universities of applied sciences. Since 2020, this educational concept has been transferred to the German International University of Applied Sciences (GIU AS) in Cairo. The university management of the HTW Berlin spoke out in favor of this project in 2019. With the support of several german universities (including HWR Berlin, Heilbronn University and TH Ulm), the development of teaching and research at the GIU has been driven forward since 2020 in cooperation projects funded by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) via the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).

The HTW Berlin is supporting the German International University (GIU) in setting up a modern range of courses in line with german quality standards. Various courses of study (e.g. international business, electrical engineering, computer science and industrial design) have been implemented and consolidated for this purpose. The project is funded and financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). After the first project from February 2020 to January 2024, under the consortium leadership of the HTW Berlin, implemented a practice-oriented HAW-typical teaching program at the GIU and laid the foundation for projects in applied research, an extension of the project was successfully applied for. The extension started in February 2024 with the aim of establishing further courses of study and strengthening cooperation in teaching and research. In addition, innovations from the GIU must be checked for their applicability at the HTW Berlin and the partner universities, and new formats and approaches must be tested. In addition to the successful recognition by the University Council of Egypt, the established study programs have been and are being accredited by a german agency.

The GIU is a sister institution of the German University Cairo (GUC). With around 11,000 students and 71 courses, the university is considered one of the most recognized and diverse universities on the African continent. Due to its international orientation, it has excellent contacts in industry and offers researchers optimal conditions from basic training to doctoral studies. The GIU has benefited from the support of its big sister GUC as well as its partner universities in Germany. With an excellent team, the growth of the GIU is exemplary. Although only founded in 2019, the GIU will already have over 3,000 students by 2024 who are taking bachelor's and master's courses or completing their doctorates at the GIU.

Strategic partner for excellent teaching

• GIU as an outstanding strategic partner in North Africa.
• Enables students to spend time abroad between the partners in Germany and Cairo.
• Acquisition of very good students for the higher semesters of bachelor's degree programs in Germany (capacity utilization and graduate rate).
• Offer of advanced master's programs and research assistant positions to excellent students at GIU.
• Innovative teaching/learning concepts within the framework of the transferred programs have great potential for the development of teaching at the partner universities.
• Establishment of double degree programs with the GIU for the participating study programs.

Production and testing of high-quality OER materials

• Raising funding to produce modern teaching materials and use them at partner universities.
• Development of effective blended learning offerings (transnational student project work, electronic examinations, digital summer schools and peer-to-peer programs).

Research

• Creation of (cooperative) doctoral opportunities at the GIU.
• Increasing the visibility of partner universities at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
• Joint research projects including international funding with the research-oriented GIU and through networking with partner universities.

Public relations and transfer 

• Increasing the international visibility of the german higher education system and its partner universities.
• Excellent GIU students will complete their compulsory internship in Germany and will be available to companies in the region as skilled workers.

• 2020 Start of the first funding phase and creation of support points in the departments and the Teaching Service Center (LSC) of the HTW Berlin. Equivalent at the partner universities in Germany.
• Implementation of 19 bachelor’s degree programs at GIU with partner universities.
• 2023 Recognition of GIU degree programs by the University Council of Egypt.
• January/February 2024 successful completion of the first and start of the second funding phase.
• Double degree agreement between GIU and partner universities planned for project period 2024-2026.

• Students of the HTW Berlin who are interested in an exchange should read the information provided by the International Office (https://www.htw-berlin.de/en/organisational-units/central-offices/international-office/).
• GIU students who are interested in an exchange with HTW Berlin or a partner university should read the information provided by the respective International Office and check the exchange options as follows:

1. regular exchange semester?
2. Write a thesis in Germany, supervised by professors from the partner universities as a free mover or by applying for advertised topics?

All GIU students must be nominated at the partner university before the end of the respective deadline. They should therefore contact their target university and the GIU at least 9 months before the start of the respective semester.

• Project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Birgit Müller, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Busch
• Overall project coordination: Judith Rickert, Martin Steinicke
• HTW Berlin:
  
  • Coordination: Judith Rickert, Martin Steinicke
  • International Office: incomings@htw-berlin.de
• Hochschule Heilbronn:
  
  • Coordination: Nawar Farah
  • International Office: io-incomings@hs-heilbronn.de
• HWR Berlin:
  
  • Coordination: Florian Haack
  • International Office: incoming@hwr-berlin.de
• TH Ulm:
  
  • Coordination: Maria-Theresia Schneider
  • International Office: stephanie.wagner@thu.de
• Homepage of the GIU in Cairo