Our program includes a mandatory six month research visit at one of the partner institutions in Vancouver. A faculty member in Vancouver, usually also a second adviser of the student, acts as a host. Students and supervisors design a small research project in advance which is then conducted during the research visit. This will give them, within their general PhD work, the possibility to work on an independent, but related side-project with the international host, while still being able to use the results for their main PhD thesis. Students gain international experience, get to know new environments, approaches, methods, focal points, etc.

To broaden and grow expertise, international researchers, first of all collaborators from our partner institutions, but also national researchers from within the field are invited to Bielefeld for workshops, colloquia, joint teaching, or even long term stays, e.g., during sabbaticals.