Every year, around 500 OTH Regensburg students venture abroad - whether for a semester, an internship or their final thesis. However, not all programmes and destinations fall within the scope of traditional funding options such as BAföG abroad. This is where the Verein der Freunde der OTH Regensburg e.V. comes in: With travel grants of up to 500 euros, it closes an important gap.
Between 2018 and 2024, private individuals donated a total of 6,000 euros to the association to enable ten students to spend time abroad. The donor describes their motivation as follows ‘A stay abroad shapes your personality and broadens your horizons. However, many students cannot afford this experience financially. Our aim is to open doors for young people that would otherwise remain closed to them.’ And this support is now being continued and stabilised in a different form, as Katja Meier, Managing Director of the Association of Friends of OTH Regensburg e.V., was recently proud to announce.
With immediate effect, the Josef Stanglmeier Foundation is providing the association with a fixed annual budget to continue the support programme. ‘I am delighted that we can enable young people to think outside the box with this support,’ said Dr Uwe Brandl, Chairman of the Foundation, in conversation with Prof Dr Carina Braun, Vice President of OTH Regensburg. The foundation is also involved with annual sponsorship awards totalling 15,000 euros.
Stories that inspire
The sponsored students talk about unforgettable experiences:
- Verena Marterer (Electrical Engineering and Information Technology) investigated the motives for studying electrical engineering at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
- Janina Orlic (International Relations and Management) conducted interviews in Morocco on post-colonial structures in the cultural sector. ‘I returned with countless impulses and insights - this trip enriched my Bachelor's thesis and myself enormously,’ she enthuses.
- Olga Koeva (Intercultural Management) took part in the Polyglot Conference in Budapest and was thrilled: ‘Being surrounded by language enthusiasts in a magnificent concert hall - that was unique!’
- Verena Mähser (Historical Building Research) was involved in an archaeological excavation in Turkey and raved about the exciting work of Archaeological Building Research.
Other students presented research results in Norway or spent a semester in Switzerland.
‘These experiences abroad are more than just a highlight on a CV - they are a springboard for the future,’ emphasises Prof. Dr Carina Braun. ‘In a globalised world, such experiences are priceless.’
Find out more
Students who are interested in the travel grants can find further information on the website of the Association of Friends of OTH Regensburg.
