On May 7, 2023, the prospering, intensive partnership between the prestigious Tunis Business School and the Orient Institute at Hochschule Heilbronn was duly celebrated with a ceremony at the Smart Center of the Tunis Business School. Prof. Salah Ben Abdallah, PhD, Founding Dean of the Tunis Business School, and Prof. Dr. Lars Gaiser, Director of the Orient Institute, have advanced this innovative partnership with great dedication and passion.
The reception commenced with a warm welcome from Prof. Naceur Azaiez, PhD, Head of the Tunis Business School, followed by an inspiring address from His Excellency Mr. Peter Prügel, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Tunis, emphasizing the significance of educational collaborations between the two countries. Prof. Dr. Habib Sidhom, President of the University of Tunis, highlighted the uniqueness of this partnership, particularly as both educational institutions signed the first double degree agreement between Germany and Tunisia last December.
Prof. Dr. Lars Gaiser delivered a captivating keynote on the history of this fruitful collaboration. With charm and humor, he reflected on numerous joint projects, from spontaneous visits to successful telecollaborations. He emphasized the creative complicité that quickly developed between the partners and underscored the practical orientation through study trips and jointly conducted telecollaborations, which were even lauded by an international evaluation team for their innovative approach.
He thanked for all support, especially the grants from the DAAD, GIZ and the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg.
Prof. Dr. Salah Ben Abdallah impressively presented the possibilities of the new double degree, the first of its kind established between Germany and Tunisia. He illustrated how new perspectives open up for students from both countries. Graduates receive certificates from both the Tunis Business School and Hochschule Heilbronn. The integrated internship can be completed in Germany, Tunisia, or even in a third country.
The event was rounded off by informative contributions from Dr. Renate Dieterich of DAAD Tunis, providing insights into scholarship programs, and Mr. Nazeh Ben Ammar from the German-Tunisian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK), discussing internship opportunities.
During the ceremony and the subsequent reception with a buffet, not only was the successful collaboration between both educational institutions celebrated, but numerous prominent guests were impressed by the diversity of projects carried out over the last eight years, which have yielded novel initiatives such as telecollaborations and the double degree.