Increasing numbers of German students and scientists choosing to 'Go East'
More German students than ever before are choosing to study in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), Germany's State Secretary for Education and Research Wolf-Michael Catenhusen has announced. The increased mobility in favour of the CEECs is the result of the publicly funded 'Go East' programme. The initiative was launched in the summer of 2002, and receives 2.5 million euro annually from the German academic exchange service (DAAD), the university rector's conference, and the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. The programme has already funded 1,400 students and graduates. 'The increasing attractiveness of universities in Central Europe and the countries of the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] for our students and scientists comes exactly at the right time,' said Mr Catenhusen. 'The increasing number of student-stays in the eastern partner countries, for scientific but also for economic collaboration, cannot be valued highly enough.' Short stays in another country are a tried and tested means of enabling German students to form a first impression of a different region, said the President of the DAAD, Professor Theodor Berchem. 'Our results stand up to scrutiny, but this is only the beginning of a trend. For a successful, balanced exchange strategy, we need a lot of patience.' Mr Catenhusen emphasised the attractiveness of the CEECs for German enterprises on account of their high quality of scientific research: 'In many of these countries, science and research is of a high level. Numerous universities have managed to modernise their curricula and structures, and are able to offer foreign students and graduates a very good learning and research environment.'
Countries
Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia