On May 28, 2026, Professor Sabine Rein, President of HTWG Konstanz, visited Nankai University in Tianjin. The Associate Secretary of the CPC Committee of Nankai University, Niu Wenli, met the delegation at Haibing Building, Balitai Campus. The Dean of the School of Foreign Studies (SFS) and the Director of the Office of International Academic Exchange and Cooperation attended the meeting.
Niu Wenli extended a warm welcome to Sabine Rein and introduced Nankai University’s educational achievements, research strengths, and international exchange profile. He noted that Nankai University had carried out extensive and in-depth cooperation with multiple German universities in student exchange, faculty visits, collaborative research, short-term lectures, international conferences, and joint training of high-level talents. Niu pointed out that Nankai University and HTWG Konstanz share strong complementarity in disciplinary layout. He expressed hope that the two universities would rely on academic exchange, joint research, and dual degree programs to cultivate composite and application-oriented international talents and promote friendship and people-to-people bonds between Chinese and German youth.
Sabine Rein thanked Nankai University for the warm reception and introduced the century-long history and disciplinary profile of HTWG Konstanz. She stated that the university has maintained long-term and trustful cooperation with Chinese universities for decades. As President of the Vierländerregion Bodensee, an association comprising 25 universities and higher education institutions from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein, Rein expressed hope that this visit would serve as an opportunity to establish cooperation between relevant disciplines and Chinese universities, especially Nankai University, and achieve practical results in faculty-student exchange and research collaboration.
After the meeting, Rein and her delegation went to SFS to attend the signing ceremony of the “German + Economics” Dual Degree Joint Training Program. Faculty members and student representatives of the German Department participated. This “German + Economics” dual degree program is the international extension of the “Foreign Language +” training model (FAS/FSE program) of SFS. It expands the existing composite education philosophy to the level of transnational joint training and represents another upgrade and innovation of the “Nankai Model”. According to the agreement, the two sides will carry out all-round cooperation in student exchange, joint faculty research, and co-developed courses. On one hand, the program leverages HTWG Konstanz’s practice-oriented and industry-academia-integrated disciplinary strengths in engineering technology and economic management. On the other hand, it builds on SFS’s teaching and research accumulation in German language and culture and Chinese-German cultural exchange. The program aims to build a composite growth path for students that balances language proficiency and professional competence. The launch of this project marks another solid step for SFS in cultivating high-level composite German talents and promoting China-Germany international collaborative education. It also provides German majors with more diverse academic development and overseas study options.
After the signing ceremony, Rein gave a lecture titled “From Tianjin to Lake Constance: Studying and Living in Germany.” Drawing on the urban style, campus environment, and daily life in Konstanz, she systematically introduced the study and life experience of studying in Germany from a cross-cultural perspective and elaborated on the significance of overseas study for talent cultivation and the expansion of young people’s international vision. In her vivid and substantive lecture, faculty and students asked questions enthusiastically and exchanged views with Rein on topics such as major selection, language preparation, and cultural adaptation. The discussion atmosphere was lively. The lecture provided concrete and practical references for students intending to pursue further studies in Germany and further narrowed the distance between SFS faculty and students and universities in the Lake Constance region.
HTWG Konstanz was founded in 1906. Located in Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, it is a public university. The university has 6 schools and offers over 40 programs, including Architecture and Design, Civil Engineering, and Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. It is known for its practice orientation, interdisciplinary education, and industry-academia-research transformation, with particular emphasis on practical teaching, industry-university cooperation, and technology transfer.
