The efficiency of the paperless office, the flavour of the Styrian farmer's salad - Bianca Bockmeyer has very different impressions of her one-week stay at the University of Graz. "Those were very intense days and I took away a lot of positive things - both professionally and personally," summarises the Finance Manager, who is responsible for handling European third-party funded projects in the Department for Research and Technology Transfer. In May last year, she flew from Bremen via Frankfurt to Graz to take part in the so-called Staff Week. Together with 20 colleagues from other European universities, she took a look behind the scenes at Styria's largest university. The institution, which is home to 32,500 students and 4,300 employees, presented itself in lectures and campus tours.
Bockmeyer was given the opportunity to spend two mornings getting a taste of the Research Management and Services department - the Austrian equivalent of her workplace. "The colleagues work completely paperless. I was totally surprised at how effectively it works," says Bockmeyer. Instead of printing out papers ready for signature and sending them back and forth by internal mail, as is usual in the Oldenburg department, there is a centralised data management system in Graz that can be accessed by the people involved at any time. "The president can quickly approve a few settlements on the car journey to an appointment," reports the finance manager. She was so impressed by the speed and efficiency that she reported on the database in her department on her return. The trip to Graz also paid off personally. "I'm a little proud to have organised it all myself. It was a great experience that gave me more self-confidence," she summarises.
Heike Thiede can only agree with that. She spent four days at the University of Klaipėda in Lithuania via Erasmus+. "I take care of the claims for travel expenses for university staff - it's definitely helpful to travel myself from time to time," says Thiede with a smile. With East Frisian tea and plenty of Kluntjes as a gift in her luggage, she set off for the Baltic States. From Vilnius, they travelled in a comfortable bus across a beautiful country. "In contrast, some of the buses in the cities reminded me of buses in the GDR era," she says. The people were very open and friendly, proud of their country.
Communication was sometimes in English, sometimes in Russian - depending on the age of the person you were talking to. "The ISO, the International Student Office, provided me with excellent English-language information material about our university," says the office employee. This made it easy for her to introduce her academic appointment in an official presentation. During her visit to the travel expenses office, she realised that the bureaucracy on both sides of the Baltic Sea is very similar. "Colleagues also often have to chase up missing signatures," she says. She can only recommend gaining some experience abroad through Erasmus+. "The ISO provides excellent support with the preparation. It was simply a great experience that made me realise once again what a great thing travelling is. And how lucky I am to be able to deal with it on a daily basis," she says.
Prof. Dr Esther Ruigendijk, Vice President for Early Career Researchers and International Affairs, is pleased to hear such statements: "I am delighted that more and more employees at our university are taking advantage of Erasmus+. It is always enriching to come into contact with other cultures - especially when working at a university that is committed to internationalisation. "It can only help you to plan such a stay and realise that things are different elsewhere, but that many things are also very similar. I can really only recommend visiting one of our partner universities to anyone."
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What is Erasmus+?
Erasmus+ is an EU programme to promote education and academic appointments in Europe. It enables millions of Europeans to study, train, gain work experience or volunteer abroad. As part of Erasmus+, the university offers the "Staff mobility for further education and training (STT)" programme for administrative staff, among others. The stay abroad should last at least three days, but can last up to two months. Up to ten working days are subsidised.
Who can apply?
- University administrative staff (MTV) whose area of work has an international dimension
- Academic staff whose work has an international dimension and includes administrative activities
Which universities can be selected?
In principle, all universities with which the university maintains an Erasmus co-operation are eligible destinations.
What costs are covered?
The Erasmus+ mobility grant covers travel and accommodation costs in the form of fixed lump sums. These are based on the distance travelled and the different costs of living in the destination country.
Job shadowing with colleagues in related fields of work or participation in workshops and seminars are possible further training formats that can be subsidised
Where can interested parties get in touch?
The International Student Office of Division 3 advises and supports those interested in gaining experience abroad through Erasmus+. The contact person is Christa Weers.
