Hamburg Networking Conference goes digital for the first timeHow universities can network during the coronavirus pandemic

3 June 2020, by Christina Krätzig

Photo: UHH

As part of it Internationalization Strategy, Universität Hamburg has been building a sustainable strategic network of international partner schools since 2012.

Further internationalization is one of Universität Hamburg’s most important goals in the Excellence Strategy. Yet how can we best cooperate with our many partner institutions during the pandemic? Regina Siemß from the Department of International Affairs took part in several digital workshops on the search for solutions.

Ms. Siemß, how did this project come about?

The 3 workshops, to which we invited 24 partner universities in May, are a continuation of the analog Hamburg Networking Conference (HNC). This 2-day conference took place for the first time last September. We set this up so that we could regularly discuss ideas for cooperation with various partner institutions. The next HNC will take place in fall 2021. Thanks to the coronavirus, however, a lot has changed. On the one hand, cooperation has become more difficult due to the worldwide restrictions. On the other hand, an event like the pandemic shows just how important international cooperation is. That’s why we decided rather spontaneously to conduct a digital HNC. Eighty-five participants accepted the invitation. This shows how great the need is.

What topics did you discuss in the workshops?

We exchanged a lot of ideas about how individual universities deal with the challenges presented by the pandemic. For example, Indiana University (USA) reported on their Global Classroom project. It is using the currently required digitalization to offer more courses with international experts. Macquarie University in Australia reported on how the entire enrollment process and initial research activities, including for doctoral students abroad, have been digitalized. The different partners can learn a lot from these good practice examples.

How do the digital workshops work and what experiences have you had so far?

I am surprised that both the technical side of things and the culture of participation and discourse worked so well. But a digital workshop requires even better preparation than its analog counterpart. For example, you have to precisely clarify in advance who is going to moderate each part and how the various conversation partners are going to alternate. And supervising the workshops was complex. I took over the technical moderation and colleagues took care of handling the topics. Furthermore, you need 2 or 3 people to oversee the chat. With 50 to 60 participants per workshop, this is a challenge—but one that we mastered.

Then will the Hamburg Networking Conference take place digitally in the future?

No. I think we’ll try a mix with analog formats and, in the future, a real conference here in Hamburg every 2 years— because in my opinion a digital format cannot completely replace the direct contact and informal chats in the coffee break that are part and parcel of a networking event. Nonetheless, digital meetings are a wonderful way of staying in contact and deepening partnerships and we will definitely be using them in the future.

About the Hamburg Networking Conference (HNC)

As a University of Excellence, Universität Hamburg has identified the further strengthening of its internationalization efforts as one of its most important goals. It focuses especially on strengthening and expanding its strategic partner network. Instead of the bilateral partnerships between 2 research institutions that it used to pursue, it will now fortify multilateral partnerships between several research institutions. A new position was created in April 2020 as part of the University’s Next Generation Partnership project. Regina Siemß currently holds this office. Her duties include organizing the virtual Hamburg Networking Conference (HNC). Universität Hamburg is funding the project from resources granted in the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments.