High-level delegation from Pakistan visits BTU to learn about the university’s strategic focus and structural changes

The visit took place as part of a week-long tour of Germany, organised at the invitation of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The guests were welcomed by BTU President Prof. Gesine Grande. In her welcome address, she emphasised: “The visit by the Pakistani delegation marks an important milestone in our exchange with Pakistani universities. Pakistani students now form one of the largest groups within our international student body and are an active part of student life at the BTU.”

With the aim of learning from the BTU’s far-reaching transformation process, the delegation held lively discussions on various topics. These included the Lusatia innovation ecosystem centred on the BTU, presented by the Vice-President for Internationalisation, Prof. Wolfram Berger; the development of a university profile, presented by the Head of Unit for Profile Development and Excellence, Dr Johannes Staemmler, and SPARK, the start-up initiative of the Energy Innovation Centre (EIZ).

As part of the exchange, Dr Anupam Yadav, Head of Energy Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the EIZ, along with doctoral candidates Wasif H. Syed, a doctoral candidate in the Control Systems and Network Control Technology chair (faculty 3), and Safdar Mahmood, a doctoral candidate in the Computer Engineering chair (faculty 1), presented SPARK’s working processes and a start-up project. They spoke about their experiences and answered numerous questions from the delegation.

Higher education institutions in Pakistan are undergoing a comprehensive reform process. In addition to financial challenges, study structures are being standardised and new quality standards for teaching and research introduced. At the same time, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is modernising the curricula and strengthening the international orientation of the higher education system. 

A few weeks ago, on 29 July 2026, another delegation from Pakistan visited Cottbus. In discussions with the university management and students, Ambassador Saqlain Syedah learnt about study programmes and fields of research.