Project 2017 focusses four goals:1. Increasing the number of outgoing students and staff2. increasing the number of Incoming students and staff3. improving the quality of partnerships4. improving services for incoming and outgoing students and staff.1. Increasing the number of outgoing students and staffThe number of outgoing students increased from 85 in Project 2016 to 102 in Project 2017. The increase seems more impressing, if we consider the percentage of ERASMUS students compared to the total number of outgoings students at HSD: Project 2014: 28 %, 2015: 39 %, 2016: 49 % and 2017: 57 %.The minor goal to increase the number of ERASMUS internships was not achieved: the number decreased from 20 in Project 2016 to 13 in Project 2017.The number of outgoing teachers and staff could not be increased.2. Increasing the number of Incoming students and staffDuring the academic year 2017/18 108 students from ERASMUS partner universities passed one or two study abroad Semesters or an internship at HSD, compared to 97 in 2016/17. The number of Incoming staff mobility was slightly increased due to the 30 Anniversary of the ERASMUS Programme: the universities of Düsseldorf organised a celebration for their partner universities.3. Improving the quality of partnershipsThe best way to improve and intensify partnerships is ERASMUS staff mobility, especially teaching mobility. Unfortunately, as figures show, teachers make hardly use of this opportunity. Incentives from the part of the president and deans might help.4. Improving services for incoming and outgoing students and staffWell proven tools like Information sessions, workshops about intercultural competences, buddy programme, pick-upsService, free language courses, excursions, parties etc.) have been offered and will be continued; new tools have been introduced; informations sessions in small groups for outgoings students, exchange speed meetings for outgoing and incoming students. outgoing students are offered a special counselling on risk management, if they go to countries in crisis; incomng students get information about traffic and bathing rules - after an accident of an international student.Faculties also offer special counselling and organise meetings for their Incoming ERASMUS students.

This action supports physical and blended mobility of higher education students and staff from EU Member States and third countries associated to Erasmus+ to any country in the world. 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.

"The changes which have been described for Project 2015 last year have been consolidated and evaluated in Project 2016. Exchange with European partners is essential for HSD. Concerning new contacts, faculties are mostly oriented towards European partners. The total number of outgoing students hasn't changed thanks to increasing SMP students (2016: 21; 2015: 8), as the number of SMS students decreased (2015: 84; 2016: 69). This might be due to counselling in some faculties where internship is ranked higher than study abroad experience.- Implementation of mobility windows in study programmes: following the example of the faculty of Design, the faculty of Media has introduced a mobility window in ist BA-Programmes Media Technology and Media Informatics. The search for new partners to satisfy the rising demand is focussed on European Partners (Rotterdam, Tampere...)- The new structure of the International Office has lead to new offers as group counselling for outgoing students. Furthermore, a systematic offer for intercultural trainings is being established.- The improved support for accommodation with a guide ""How to find accommodation in Düsseldorf"" has lead to an increased number of satisfied students: the annual evaluation has shown that 64 % of the students have been satisfied or very satisfied with the Support in 2016 instead of 46 % in 2015.- Emergency counselling has been enforced, though the planned guide has not been finalized yet.The established forms as Sprachcafé, Tandem Partnerships for learning the language and excursions have been continued. Exchange Speed Meetings between Outgoing and Incoming students has shown a perfect tool for incomings to get in touch with German students and for future outgoings to get in touch with international students."

2014 meant for us working on two important features of internationalization: on starting the new ERASMUS+ programme and starting the work on the internationalization strategy of the HSD. ERASMUS+ was immediately taken as a central milestone of the internationalization strategy. Exchange with European and especially neighbour countries was defined as a main target. Though it was not obvious to communicate that ERASMUS+ was not just a funding programme for a stay abroad, but that die intention was to modernize the European Higher Education Institutions and furthermore, with the introduction of KA 107, extend it to the whole world. Individual mobility and individual networking is the first step towards institutional networking and modernization of Higher Education.The strategy of internationalization of the HSD stipulates these principles in its vision and the targets and measures realize them. Though, due to autonomy, faculties go different ways in different speed. The Faculty of Business Studies and the Faculty of Design offer students the opportunity of going abroad for a study programme or a practical training thanks to integrated stay abroad semesters or mobility windows. Examinations results are acknowledged thanks to a standard procedure. And students do not exceed the number of courses needed for completion. The Faculty of Business Studies shows the highest number of students going abroad; the mobility window in Design will show its impact in 2015 and 2016. Increasing mobility means also searching for appropriate partners. The Faculty of Design actively extends its network of exchange partners and organizes visits and meetings in order to guarantee the quality of the exchange to their students. Knowing one’s partner improves counselling for students; and so students can be motivated to go to places they had not thought about before. The Faculty of Design tries to set a trend and send students to Poland, Lithuania, Slovaquia, Croatia etc.Engineering students are the less mobile students at HSD. All an International Office can do, like organizing information sessions, workshops, meetings between incoming and outgoing students and so on, has not led to an increased number of outgoing engineers. This is the proof that only structural changes (integration of mobility windows, stay abroad semesters, double or joint degree programmes etc.) change attitude towards mobility. The strategy of internationalization will help administration to change attitudes.In 2014 the number of participants in ERASMUS+ mobility has not increased yet: 54 outgoing students (2013 and 2012: 50 resp.). The number of incoming students, though, has increased: 2014: 96 (2013:74; 2012:71). We regret to say that the rate of teaching mobility is close to non-existing; staff mobility will go increasing due to the fact, that ERASMUS+ staff mobility has been acknowledged as part of the internal staff qualification programme. Participation is enhanced by administration of HSD. Dissemination and distribution of the programme have been largely improved since the removal of HSD to a completely new campus, the introduction of a new corporate design and the new website. The old website management system didn’t offer enough flexibility to present international relations and programmes and waiting for the new system, motivation for working on the old one was small. From 2015 on we’ll be able to report about progress in this field. In the meantime, the International Office presents the ERASMUS+programme on fairs, open door days, information sessions – the ERASMUS+ roll-up, from the National Agency – DAAD always in the background.In 2014, preparing the removal, the International Office has reorganised: the two exchange coordinators who by then were responsible for all incoming and outgoing students of the faculties on the respective campus, are now specialised for either incoming or outgoing students. The concentration of the subjects and processes means that projects and initiatives to promote ERASMUS+ programme for either group will be easier to handle and organize.

"Projekt 2015 continues project 2014: the strategy for internationalization at Hochschule Düsseldorf puts the focus on increasing mobility with European neighbour countries and fosters the realization of the ERASMUS+-programme. Structural and administrative measures are to be taken in order to reach the targets of increasing mobility and strengthening European partnership:- As reported in 2014, the faculty of Design has established a mobility window which led to an increase of the number of outgoing students. This example inspired other faculties, especially the engineering departments. We hope to increase the mobility in this area respectively.- Mobility windows, fostering individual mobility, require an increase in the number of exchange places and quality of exchange - in 2016, we notice an increase of teaching mobility. The direct contact with the partner organization improves counselling in the faculty and therefore strengthens students' motivation for a stay abroad.- After moving to the new campus in December 2015, the International Office has changed its structure: one student exchange coordinator is in charge of outgoing students , the other for incoming students. Before, both of them were dealing with incoming and outgoing students on the two different campuses. Both coordinators will now concentrate on their respective field and develop new activities for the whole target group, creating synergy between the faculties and developing new concepts of information policy.- Quality of counselling in the International Office and in the faculties has increased since the move. Guidelines for incoming students: ""How to find accommodation"", first meetings to establish a structured crisis and risk management programme for both incoming and outgoing students are innovations at HSD. Proven events like tandem partnership for learning German or the ""Sprachcafé"", excursions and cultural events are continued."