Strategy and Techniques for a Sister University Collaboration Hub

Abstract

This thesis uses a new initiative derived from the sister city concept to investigate the potential of a sister university concept (SUC) between the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and Shenzhen Technology University in China (SZTU). The potential of applying an SUC for collaboration between SZTU and the FHNW was investigated in 2021 as part of a master's thesis entitled "Development of a Sister University Concept." The FHNW School of Business and critical partners from SZTU signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in December 2023, which created a framework for intensified cooperation and partnership in education. With the current economic and political situation in Switzerland and China, where decoupling is currently occurring, it is even more important to create strong and sustainable university collaboration. The right to education should be preserved even if the political situation is not ideal. The SZTU's ambition to establish itself as an international university is also reflected in the mission of the FHNW, which educates specialists and managers for an interconnected world. The goal of the sister city concept is to build long-term collaboration and partnerships to promote and increase the cooperation between cities on an international level, and this concept could also be beneficial to universities, considering their missions in terms of internationalization.