In March 2017, doctoral student Ms. Elmira Yeralin visited her academic advisor, Prof. Giese, in Germany. During this visit, they discussed many substantive issues related to her doctoral dissertation on the topic: “The Role of the Educational Process as a Competitive Factor for the Kazakh Economy—Requirements, Design Options, and Effectiveness.”

At the same time, discussions were held with the Vice President for Education and International Affairs regarding the organization of teaching and research at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. Cultural activities rounded out the program.

Prof. Giese has successfully guided eight doctoral candidates to the degree so far, six of whom in cooperation with TURAN University in Almaty. Kazakhstan places great value on learning from foreign—primarily European—experiences in addressing technical and societal challenges. As part of their doctoral studies, each doctoral candidate must spend a certain amount of time at the host institutions of their foreign advisors to engage in on-site discussions and, where possible, find solutions to comparable problems. Thanks to a good command of English (in addition to Russian and Kazakh), it is possible to discuss many issues with local scientists and experts.