Chinese students attending the UIBE Summer School at ZEW

As of 3 July 2017, ZEW in Mannheim has been playing host to a group of students from China as part of the international UIBE Summer School programme. A total of 25 students from the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing, all currently on degree courses in some way related to economics, will spend three weeks at ZEW to learn more about economic activity in the German and European arena through a number of different modular courses.

The interactive nature of the programme, along with the varied content and lively debate of the issues discussed, guarantee the students a unique experience in Europe and will prepare them for an international career in economics or academic research. Through the different modules, the ZEW team – made up of members of the Service Department “Knowledge Transfer and Qualification Programmes” and the individual research units – aims to provide students with a broad range of expertise in business management and economics, management skills as well as individually tailored soft skills including training in how to handle negotiations or how to give presentations.

The participants will also go on a number of excursions to both European and German institutions, such as the Deutsche Bundesbank. By visiting companies based in the region, such as BASF, the students will get to see real-world examples of what they have been learning about in the various modules. Following their time at ZEW in Mannheim, the students will embark on an eight-day study tour which will take the group to Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris. This is the second time that ZEW has hosted the UIBE Summer School, an event which is an important part of the increasingly close cooperation between the two institutions.