On 8 July 2026, OTH Regensburg welcomed a high-level delegation from Clemson University in South Carolina, USA. The group was led by Brian Watkins, Associate Vice President for Global Programmes and Partnerships, accompanied by Prof. Dr Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte and Prof. Dr Johannes Schmidt. On the Regensburg side, Prof. Dr Oliver Steffens, Vice-President for Research and International Affairs, the International Office (IO) and numerous professors from the university welcomed the guests.
The highlight of the visit was the ceremonial signing of the renewal of the Student Exchange Agreement between the two universities. By renewing the agreement, the partners reaffirm their long-standing cooperation and lay the foundations for the continuation of student exchanges between Regensburg and South Carolina.
Following the welcome in the administration building, the delegation members held in-depth discussions on the current status of the German-American Industry Programme – a new cooperation initiative designed to combine a semester of study at the partner university with a work placement in local industry. Other key topics of discussion included short-term mobility programmes, such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects and faculty-led programmes, as well as joint applications under the DAAD’s HAW.International programme. Representing OTH Regensburg at this exchange were Prof. Dr Thomas Schratzenstaller, Prof. Dr Markus Westner and Prof. Dr Johannes Reschke.
The atmosphere became particularly warm during the subsequent meeting with former OTH students who had themselves completed an exchange semester at Clemson University: Philipp Baumann and Johannes Weidner told the delegation about their experiences in South Carolina. They continued their conversation with the guests over lunch in the canteen.
In the afternoon, a tour of the campus took the guests through, amongst other places, the Tech Base, the Medical Devices Laboratory and the Building Lab, before they went on to visit the Start-Up Lab in Prüfening. The visit concluded with a dinner together in the Spitalgarten.
OTH Regensburg has maintained a close partnership with Clemson University for ten years. The connection has its roots not least in the personal contacts of Prof. Dr Thomas Schratzenstaller, who took part in an exchange programme with Clemson University whilst he was a student himself. Since then, he has continuously expanded the partnership with great personal commitment and through several trips to South Carolina. With the extension of the exchange agreement now finalised, both universities are sending a clear signal in support of strengthening transatlantic student exchange – a collaboration that is embraced with great enthusiasm on both sides.
