Evaluating the German “Strategy for the Internationalisation of Education, Science and Research”

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has commissioned Technopolis Group to evaluate the “Strategy for the Internationalisation of Education, Science and Research” of the Federal Government. 

Drafted by the BMBF and approved by the Federal Cabinet in February 2017, the Internationalisation Strategy builds on and expands its predecessor of 2008. It forms the programmatic framework and the umbrella for the activities of the Federal Government promoting international cooperation in education, science and research. With the guiding principle “International cooperation: networked and innovative”, the strategy focuses on five key objectives:

(1) Strengthening excellence through global cooperation,
(2) Developing Germany’s strength in innovation on the international stage,
(3) Internationalising vocational training and qualification,
(4) Working with emerging and developing countries to shape the global knowledge-based society, and
(5) Overcoming global challenges together.

Further, the Internationalisation Strategy highlights cross-cutting actions in the fields of research and academic relations policy as well as international networking.  

The evaluation of the Internationalisation Strategy aims at recording and assessing the achievement of objectives, effectiveness and profitability. In addition, it analyses which approaches are relevant for reaching the pursued objectives and derives concrete suggestions for further development. Besides the examination of the overall strategy, an in-depth evaluation of selected funding measures is carried out. 

For conducting the evaluation, Technopolis Group will work closely with an expert commission consisting of experts for every key objective and the cross-cutting field. The expert commission accompanies the whole evaluation process and is responsible for the final recommended course of action. In order to evaluate the different strategy levels – reaching from activities, objectives and the overall strategy – a range of different methods will be applied. This includes document and secondary data analyses, interviews, a comparison with other countries’ Internationalisation Strategies and different workshop formats with beneficiaries and experts. A final audit of the expert commission allows to consolidate the findings and develop specific recommendations. 

This evaluation is an important step in assessing, advancing and improving the Federal Governments approach in internationalising education, science and research. Technopolis Group is looking forward to conducting this exciting and interesting project!