Attracting top international researchers—but how?
Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft is hosting a practical workshop on this topic. During the two-day event, decision-makers from German universities will participate to share experiences, discuss challenges, and develop strategies for successfully appointing international scholars.
For the third time, Wübben Stiftung is hosting the workshop “Making it Work – Best Practices in Hiring International Professors” for a small group of universities. The workshop will cover a wide range of topics, from internationalization strategies and recruitment to dual-career opportunities and integration into the new work and living environment, addressing institutional requirements and processes, intercultural aspects, practical questions, and concrete examples.
November 19–20, 2026, Berlin
Experts from the Foundation for International Mobility will share valuable insights on topics such as onboarding processes, dual-career models, and recruitment strategies. There will also be ample opportunity for discussion and exchange with the experts and among the university participants.
Successful recruitment from abroad requires collaboration among many different stakeholders within universities. This calls for a shared understanding of the institution’s welcoming culture, as well as a commitment to making all programs and offers accessible and understandable to researchers who have no prior experience with the German academic system.
For this reason, the Foundation invites universities to participate in the workshop as a team. This team should consist of a member of the university administration, representatives from the departments of tenure-track appointments and international affairs or the Welcome Center. In addition, it is possible to register a dean whose faculty plans to increase recruitment from abroad in the coming years.
Program (tentative)
The language of the event is English.
November 19, 2026
- Welcome Dinner & Keynote
November 20, 2026
- Recruiting – the academic’s perspective
→ Expectations of international applicants
→ Information and communication needs
→ Language and cultural considerations - Recruiting – the university’s perspective
→ Using networks and resources for active recruiting
→ Attracting international academics to your institution
→ Understanding international candidates’ needs - Obstacles to internationalization at German universities
- Dual career: opportunities and challenges
→ Networking for spouses and partners
→ Services the university can offer
→ Dual career hires: possibilities and Limits - Onboarding – all the (not so) little things that matter
→ Navigating bureaucracy, insurance, taxes
→ Childcare & schools
→ Learning the language, getting to know the culture
→ Understanding the work Environment - Institutional Change for successful international recruitment and retention
→ From strategy papers to permanent processes
→ From the exception to the rule: identifying and replicating best practices
→ Mobilizing allies, creating alliances
→ Maintaining momentum for institutional change
Secure your spot to make appointments of international professorships at your institution more successful! Please contact us via email at globalminds@w-s-w.org.