IBS students learn about international cooperation
In the winter semester 2025/26, 24 students from the International Business Studies (IBS) Master's programme at Paderborn University took part in the Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) Project. In this international online project, they worked together with around 40 students from six other European universities on practical business issues.
The project was initiated twelve years ago by Rachel Lindner, coordinator of the language section of the IBS degree programme. Since then, it has been an integral part of the programme. The project is supervised by lecturers from the fields of international business strategy, intercultural communication and English business communication at the respective partner universities. Participants gain valuable experience in virtual collaboration and develop key skills for the globalised world of work. In addition to intercultural communication skills and digital teamwork, the programme also focuses on strategic skills. The intensive exchange with the European partner universities enables students to apply and deepen their knowledge in a practical and international context.
This year, the project network was expanded to include another partner institution from the COLOURS alliance. In addition to the previous partner universities - the Université Clermont Auvergne (France), the Czech University of Chemistry and Technology (Czech Republic) and the Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland) - the project is now cooperating with three COLOURS partners: the University St. Kliment Ohridski Bitola (North Macedonia), the University of Applied Sciences (Latvia) and, for the first time, the Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa (Poland). This expansion gives the project additional cultural and academic perspectives that further enrich international cooperation.
Following the successful completion of this year's project round, planning has already begun for the GVTs Project 2026/27. The aim is to expand cooperation with other COLOURS partner universities and to continuously strengthen the international networking of students.
