Scholarship Announcement 2026
Westphalian University of Applied Sciences
GIPE++ 2026 – Global Sustainable Interdisciplinary & Intercultural Project Experience
The GIPE++ program runs from 2025 to 2027 partially funded by DAAD and Erasmus+. Each year, one of our partner universities proposes and leads a new project, creating an ongoing opportunity for our students to engage in meaningful international collaboration with real world clients. The program provides a truly international, interdisciplinary, and intercultural learning experience for our students of the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences and its partner institutions. It’s goal is to prepare you even more effectively for professional careers in globally operating companies and organizations by giving you the opportunity to work on real-world challenges within diverse, international teams.
Welcome to GIPE++ 2026!
In 2026, our intercultural project will support the local Comunidad de Quilca in Peru. This year’s project handover will be hosted by our partner university,
the Universidad Católica San Pablo in Arequipa.
Together with local farmers and representatives of the regional government, we will work on solutions to combat the increasing salinization of
agricultural land – one of the region’s most pressing environmental challenges.
How can You contribute?
During the project, you will have the chance to work on a variety of interdisciplinary topics that directly support the local community in Quilca. We would like to explicitly underline that this project is open to students from all academic disciplines and fields of study, offering challenges from every department and for anyone interested in working in an international environment:
- Conduct a social and economic assessment to understand community needs
- Collect water balance data
- Analyze the technical system architecture related to water management
- Contribute to the development of a water balance model
- Create digital dashboards to track current water demand and monitor soil salinity levels
- Assess the agricultural frontier to identify opportunities and challenges for sustainable land use
- Design communication strategies to effectively engage local stakeholders and support long-term implementation of proposed solutions
If you are interested in participating in an intercultural, hands-on project – apply now!
What You will gain
- A unique Global Intercultural Project Experience (GIPE++) – including 6 ECTS credits
- Collaboration with students from Peru, Namibia, and Indonesia (and lots of fun along the way!)
- The opportunity to support the local community in Quilca in addressing environmental challenges
- The chance to develop technical solutions (e.g., monitoring tools, digital applications), business concepts (communication strategies, social media plans), and other innovative ideas
- Personal and professional growth through real international teamwork
Key Dates
Info Session - December 17th, 2026 5 p.m. CET
(Online via Zoom)
You will learn more about GIPE++, our partners and the project in 2026!
Kick-off – March 10th, 2026 (Online via Zoom)
A joint online launch event with all students, coordinators, and faculty from our partner universities.
Spring School – April 27th to May 8th, 2026 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Students and coordinators from all partner universities will come together in Germany for two weeks of intensive collaboration, social bonding, and hands-on project development.
Final Handover – August 3rd to August 7th, 2026 in Peru
The German team will travel to Peru to finalize the project with your Peruvian peers and present the final results to our client – an exciting and valuable cultural and academic exchange experience.
Who Can Apply?
This program is open to students of Westfälische Hochschule who meet the following criteria:
- Minimum 4th semester Bachelor’s (in SS 2026) or Master’s students
- Good English skills (spoken and written)
- Strong communication and teamwork abilities
- Interest in learning new skills and engaging in different fields of study
- Social commitment and motivation to work in an intercultural environment
Please submit your application including the following documents:
-
Motivation letter
Describe your interest in the project and explain why you should be selected as a GIPE++ scholar. - Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Academic record (QIS)
- Optional: Evidence of social, societal, or cultural engagement
Application deadline: January 5th, 2026
If you’re ready for an international challenge and want to make a real impact – apply now and become part of GIPE++ 2026!
We warmly invite applications from students of all genders, nationalities, religions, ethnicities, and social backgrounds.
For further information or any questions, please contact:
Fine Rohde
Project Coordinator for GIPE++
fine.rohde@w-hs.de
+49 209 9596 967