This is a project for higher education student and staff mobility between Programme Countries and Partner Countries. Please consult the website of the organisation to obtain additional details.

StrangeScatt will assess the role of strange quarks in nuclear physics by performing first-principles computations of scattering amplitudes to study interactions between hadrons with strange quarks. The presence of strange quarks alters the properties of atomic nuclei and nuclear matter. For instance, the relationship between the mass and radius of neutron stars depends on the dynamics of strange quarks produced in their core. However, quantitative predictions of neutron star masses and radii are complicated by our ignorance of the fundamental interactions of baryons with strange quarks (hyperons). Such predictions are timely given the advent of dedicated neutron star observatories, multi-messenger astronomy, and earth-based experiments involving baryon resonances and nuclear matter. Nuclear interactions are rooted in QCD, the fundamental force which binds quarks inside hadrons and hadrons inside nuclei. The bridge between few-body and many-body dynamics is made systematically with effective theories of the strong nuclear force, which require as input few-hadron scattering amplitudes as well as their quark-mass dependence. This project will compute two- and three-hadron scattering amplitudes between nucleons and hyperons directly from QCD using high-performance computer simulations on a space-time lattice. Lattice QCD computations of scattering amplitudes have improved markedly thanks to algorithms developed by the PI, so that accurate and precise first-principles computations of are finally within reach. The unique ability of lattice computations to vary the up, down, and strange quark masses near their physical values is necessary for fully predictive effective theories. The PI's experience in lattice QCD computations of scattering amplitudes makes him ideally suited for StrangeScatt, which supports ground-based experiments and astrophysical observations by probing the role of strangeness in hadron interactions, nuclei, and nuclear matter.

Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) is part of the global community of universities. Guided and informed by excellence standards, it continuously expands research collaborations with universities and institutions worldwide. In order to ensure that its research and education remain competitive on an international level in the years to come, it is essential to be fully integrated into a global network of universities and research institutes. In the course of the university’s internationalisation, it aims specifically at enabling its students, researchers and other members of staff to gather international and intercultural experience at an early stage in order to significantly improve their chances in the globalised labour market and to consistently increase the quality of research and education by actively involving RUB academics into the international research landscape. Funding international mobility is a cornerstone on the agenda of the RUB’s strategic internationalisation objectives pertaining to the internationalisation of teaching. The Erasmus+ project 2017 made an important contribution to this through exchange activities with international partners worldwide, in addition to those in the funding line with partners in programme countries (KA 103). Both in student and staff mobility, stays of members of the RUB's partner institutions at RUB (incoming mobility) and stays of RUB members in partner countries (outgoing mobility) were successfully implemented in the course of the project. Within the project, two RUB students spent one semester studying abroad, two members of faculties taught abroad, and one person took part in training and further education programmes at partner universities in Argentina, Israel, Russia and the USA. In addition, RUB hosted three exchange students for one semester, two lecturers, and five people taking part in training and further education courses, who came from partner universities. Prior to all mobility activities, inter-institutional agreements were signed with all partner universities, drawn up by the RUB’s International Office (IO) in collaboration with the IOs resp. the authorised offices at the partner universities. Professional assistance on the administrative and service level ensured the high quality of the exchange scheme.During their semester abroad, all students attended various classes, often in addition to language courses in the national language and/or in other foreign languages at the universities’ language departments/centres. The course selection for studying abroad was stipulated in learning agreements and amended in the event of changes. The first days were orientation days, during which administrative topics such as university system, insurance, registration at university, opening a bank account etc. were covered, the university was presented, and discipline-specific information and information on final course selection and enrolment were provided. Additional assistance was supplied by student buddies or guides, who answered the mobility participants’ questions regarding studies and student life at the host university. Before, during and after the project participants’ mobility phase, it was primarily the International Offices/Office of International Academic Affairs/Office of Study Abroad/Welcome Centre at the partner universities and at RUB that provided comprehensive administrative support and looked after the participants. Departmental and exchange coordinators at the faculties/institutes contributed greatly to the high quality of supervision and support at the universities. They were in charge of answering all discipline-related questions and collaborated closely with colleagues at the partner universities, in order to ensure best possible supervision of both the outgoing and incoming participants.As a result with long-term effects, collaboration with the US partner institution Central Michigan University (CMU) and the one with the partner university in Argentina, Universidad Nacional de San Juan (UNSJ), has been intensified. At present, a study abroad track for graduate (master’s) students at both universities is being set up in collaboration with the CMU, in the course of which students will be spending one semester studying at the respective partner university. Moreover, a joint MA/PhD programme is being developed with the aim of enabling students to obtain a degree from both universities.After the funding of the bi-national master’s programme “Applied Geothermics” (German-Argentinian university networks) in collaboration with UNSJ has been recently approved, it will soon be possible to jointly train master’s students and generate joint graduates.

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) sees itself as a member of the global community of universities. As a university oriented towards excellent standards, it is continuously expanding scientific cooperation with universities and institutions worldwide. In order to maintain research and teaching at an internationally competitive level in the future and in the long term, intensive integration into a worldwide network of universities and research institutions is indispensable. As part of the internationalisation of the university, it is the declared aim to enable RUB students, researchers and other employees to gain international and intercultural experience at an early stage in order to significantly improve their chances on the globalised job market, and also to integrate RUB researchers as effectively as possible into the international research landscape in order to further increase the quality of research and teaching. International mobility funding thus represents a central building block for achieving RUB's strategic internationalisation goals in the area of internationalisation of teaching. The 2018 Erasmus+ project made an important contribution to this, in addition to that in the funding line with partners in programme countries (KA 103), through the exchange activities with international partners worldwide. Both in the area of student and staff mobility, stays of members of the partner institutions at RUB (incoming mobilities) as well as of members of RUB in partner countries (outgoing mobilities) were carried out during the project period.Four RUB students were sent to partner universities in Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Morocco and the USA for one-semester study visits, and five RUB lecturers were sent to partner universities in Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Morocco and the USA, while nine students were sent to RUB for one-semester study visits, four lecturers and seven people were sent by partners from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Morocco and the USA for further education and training purposes to RUB. Due to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, some incoming and outgoing participants were unable to complete their planned stays or had to break them off and return to their home countries.Inter-institutional agreements were concluded with the partner universities prior to all mobility activities, which were prepared by the RUB International Office (IO) in cooperation with the IOs or responsible offices at the partner universities. The quality of the exchanges was ensured by professional support at administrative and service level on both sides.DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITIESAll students took part in various subject courses during their one-semester study visits, in some cases additionally in language courses in the national language and/or also in other foreign languages in the respective language departments/language centres of the universities. The choice of courses for the study abroad programme was agreed in learning agreements before the stay and adjusted accordingly in the event of changes. To get started, there were orientation days, some of which covered administrative topics such as the university system, insurance, registration at the university, opening an account, and also getting to know the study location, while others were subject-oriented and provided information on the final course selection and enrolment, for example. Further help was provided by student buddies or guides who answered questions about studying and living at the host university, as well as by alumni who had already studied at the host university.Before, during and after the mobility phase of the project participants, the International Offices/Offices of Study Abroad/Welcome Centres at the partner universities and at RUB provided support in all administrative matters and took comprehensive care of the participants. The subject/exchange coordinators in the faculties/institutes also made a considerable contribution to the high-quality advisory and support services at the universities. They were the contact persons for all subject-related questions and were in regular contact with the colleagues at the partner universities in order to ensure the best possible subject-related support for the outgoings and incoming students.

This action supports physical and blended mobility of higher education students and staff from/to third countries not associated to Erasmus+. Students in all study fields and cycles can take part in a study period or traineeship abroad. Higher education teaching and administrative staff can take part in professional development activities abroad, as well as staff from the field of work in order to teach and train students or staff at higher education institutions.