Never before has the TUM Global Week been as large and multifaceted as this year. In cooperation with other TUM units, the TUM Global & Alumni Office offered a packed program of 29 thematically enormously diverse events in the first week of July. They were aimed at TUM-internal and international students, doctoral students, TUM alumni, scientists, university employees, as well as companies and other external institutions from a wide range of countries and fields. And with all these addressed target groups, the offer met with a great response.
Diverse organizers, diverse event formats – all hand in hand
In various event formats, such as webinars, info sessions, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions, organizers from diverse TUM units provided information on international exchange and funding opportunities, intercultural communication, research trends, and mentoring programs across the disciplines.
They also offered exciting insights into the developments of TUM's flagship partnerships as well as our strategic alliances. For example, an exclusive group of scientists had the opportunity to exchange ideas on specific cooperation topics in the form of a virtual China roundtable.
In contrast, the International encounters on campus event was intended to address a particularly broad target group. Here, the focus was on the many offerings with an international character at TUM, ranging from the language café to international country evenings and joint activities to buddy programs. After all, the big goal is to bring together as many German and international students, researchers, and employees as possible.
The information events for students on opportunities to study abroad were extremely well attended. In country-specific, interactive Q&A sessions, students were able to ask the TUM liaison officers specific questions about their respective regions. Questions included, for example, how the study system works in Latin America or what the cost of living is like when studying in the USA.
The EuroTeQ Engineering University event attracted a particularly large audience from outside the university. Here, representatives of the partner universities and industry exchanged ideas on how students can best be prepared for the constantly changing demands of the European job market as well as our society.
Unfamiliar and different? Maybe. But still good!
A digital city tour of Munich? Perhaps difficult to imagine at first - but this format offered a completely different way of getting to know TUM's home city and was very well received by the international partners.
In all events, participants were very active with questions and discussions, as in the workshops on intercultural communication, where an understanding of "foreign", "new" and "unfamiliar" was deepened and practiced.
Panel discussion on opportunities and challenges of sustainability projects
The topic of sustainability had a special place at this year's TUM Global Week. Therefore, it was Prof. Juliane Winkelmann, Vice President for International Alliances & Alumni, who opened the panel discussion Making a global impact. In her speech, she emphasized the significance of the topic, especially in an international context, and also pointed out the particular value placed on sustainability at TUM.
At the virtual panel event, students, alumni, and scientists discussed the implementation of international sustainability projects in the Global South in a very pragmatic way, talked about stumbling blocks as well as experiences of success, and also about what motivates them all time and again to keep going. The interest in the topic was great and the participants, the moderator as well as all panelists would have liked to continue the conversation even further after the event was over.
The TUM Global Network – heart of the TUM Global Week
The exchange opportunities with the liaison officers from the TUM offices in Beijing, Brussels, Mumbai, San Francisco, and São Paulo, as well as from TUM Asia, on whose long-established presentations this year's TUM Global Week is based, were also very popular in the new format. As regional experts, they reported on current developments and projects in their countries and continents and, together with guests from their regions, encouraged exchange in the areas of sustainability and global health, among others.
Mohaa Vyas, TUM Mumbai liaison officer, joined the TUM family last September. She not only moderated her own session, but also attended several events. As she concludes: "This was my first TUM Global Week. I found the content of the sessions I attended as a participant very informative and well organized. As I led and moderated my own session on sustainability in India, I also learned a lot from the speakers who talked about their journey with their projects in India. I really enjoyed being part of this exciting and high-level interactive week!"
TUM Global Week 2021 a complete success – we look forward to seeing you again in 2022!
In summary it can be said that this year's TUM Global Week was a complete success. This is also clearly reflected in the feedback received from the participants. It provided a comprehensive platform for lively exchange about international activities and opportunities at TUM. It is pleasing to note that even in this new, digital format, participants showed a very strong interest in exchange and interaction, which made all events very lively throughout. The TUM Global & Alumni Office team is already looking forward to seeing you again at the next TUM Global Week in summer 2022.
All participating units and divisions of the TUM Global Week 2021 at a glance:
TUM G&A: Global profile
TUM G&A: Going abroad
TUM G&A: Coming to TUM
TUM G&A: Alumni worldwide
TUM G&A: International career
TUM G&A: Mentoring programs
TUM Campus Straubing
TUM ForTe
TUM Graduate School
TUM Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)
TUM Institute for Life-long Learning (IL3)
TUM Junge Akademie
TUM Language Center