QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Griffith University Enterprising and innovative

Dr Jens Tampe shows us a snapshot of the German presence at one of Queensland’s youngest, most enterprising universities. When Griffith University opened its doors in 1975, it had four schools with 451 students. Griffith was then the very first university in Australia to offer degrees in Asian studies and Environmental. Both remain pillars of the University with the Australian Rivers Institute, the Smart Water Facility, and the Griffith Asia Institute, as leading examples. In 2012, Griffith has evolved into a student-centric, research-intensive, multi-campus university with internationally recognised strengths in teaching and research. Griffith now offers more than 300 degrees across five campuses and is home to more than 43,000 students. Griffith is Australia’s ninth largest higher education provider. Today, Griffith is regarded as one of Australia’s most innovative tertiary institutions and one of the most influential universities in the Asia-Pacific region. Griffith also is a very international and multicul tural institution: about a quarter of the university’s staff and students are from overseas. Griffith is proud to host students from 131 countries – a great opportunity for students to immerse themselves into a vibrant international culture. Compared to staff from the UK or China, the number of German staff at Griffith is low: Griffith currently employs around 70 staff with German nationality. The same is true for students. There are currently about 100 German students at Griffith. However they are represented in science and technology, environment, health, business and the arts, and in undergraduate and post-graduate studies. In addition, there is a vibrant exchange of students between Griffith and universities or research institutes in Germany. Griffith University is providing postgraduate tuition scholarships to German students. As well, German students can access scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to study at Griffith, in collaborations with institutions such as the Humboldt University, the University of Tübingen, the Hochschule für Musik Cologne, and the Kassel University School of Arts. Several Griffith Research Institutes and Schools send Australian students to Germany. Students from the Centre for Wireless Monitoring and Applications, for instance, work internships in Germany in the car industry to add real world work experience to their studies.

Come and meet three Griffith people: Professor Mark von Itzstein is the director of the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus. Mark is a co-inventor of Relenza, the Australian influenza drug. Currently, three German students are doing PhD work at the Institute for Glycomics, helping to develop the next generation of ’flu drugs, novel vaccines and cancer therapies. Dr Sascha Stegen came to Griffith in 2008 to do his PhD about the development of an integrated magnetic system assisted by electro magnetic simulation. After graduating, he decided to stay at Griffith, where he is now a lecturer and researcher in the school of engineering, teaching about sustainable energy systems. Dr Jens Tampe is Deputy Director of Griffith Enterprise, the commercialisation office of the university. After a career in biotech business development and technology commercialisation in Germany, Jens moved to Australia in 2006. He worked for two years for Bio-Link Partners in Sydney before he moved to Griffith. At Griffith Enterprise, Jens leads the Business Development Group, its mission to undertake a new approach to commercialisation. In addition to traditional consultancy, commercial research and technology transfer activities, the university is establishing enterprises. Enterprises are business units that operate within the university and utilise and adapt knowledge based research to deliver a suite of products and services directly to customers. Through this broader approach the university creates additional value and drives tangible economic, scientific and social outcomes. griffith.edu.au

“Only what we have wrought into our character

during life can we take away

with us.” – Alexander von Humboldt

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