On September 22, 2025, a delegation from the German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology (GMIT) and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) visited the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG). The goal was to continue the collaboration and discuss future projects.

The visit served as an opportunity for professional exchange and the planning of joint initiatives. The group began the day with laboratory visits, organized according to areas of professional interest:

• ZIRKON Institute: Presentation by Annett Kupka, including the CircEcon project, as well as discussions on research topics and areas of collaboration.
• Zittau Power Plant Laboratory: Guided tour and technical exchange on research and teaching related to thermal energy storage with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kunick and Acting Prof. Daniel Fiß.

Intense technical discussions took place in both groups.

Following this, the University Executive Board, represented by the Rector, Prof. Dr. Alexander Kratzsch, and the Vice President for Research, Knowledge Transfer, and International Affairs, Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil, welcomed the guests in the Senate Hall. A special highlight followed right at the start: the entry by GMIT Rector Prof. Dr. Battsengel Baatar into the HSZG’s Golden Book. She left her good wishes for continued cooperation, including a message written in traditional Old Mongolian script.

Susanne Fentzel, who has been coordinating the partnership since the first meeting in Ulaanbaatar, opened the subsequent discussions with an overview of the collaboration to date. This was followed by presentations on key research areas by professors from HSZG:

• Prof. Dr. Tino Schütte (Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management)
• Prof. Dr. René Sadowski (Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kunick (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering)
• Prof. Dr. Stefan Kornhuber (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
• Associate Prof. Daniel Fiß (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, IPM)

On behalf of the guests, in addition to Rector Prof. Dr. Baatar, the two deans, Prof. Dr. Gantuya Ganbat (Faculty of Raw Materials and Environmental Engineering) and Prof. Dr. Sungchil Lee (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering), introduced their respective departments. Sebastian Burghof, project manager at GIZ, explained the current status of the project and future possibilities.

Following the official program, further in-depth discussions took place, including with Dr. Lucie Koutková, head of the Student Services & International Affairs division, as well as interested professors. The program concluded with a guided tour of the LaNDER³ Hall led by Dr. Rafael Cordeiro and a tour of the high voltage facility led by Prof. Dr. Stefan Kornhuber.

The discussions have solidified the foundation for further collaboration. Initial expressions of interest have already been received from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as well as Economics and Engineering Management. Other interested parties have also signaled their willingness to participate. A cooperation agreement, which is currently being drafted, is intended to structure the next steps. This will give the partnership new momentum and move it from the initial phase to concrete implementation.

The collaboration between HSZG, GMIT, and GIZ began in November 2023 at the Saxony Education Days in Ulaanbaatar. Since then, the following milestones have been achieved:

• April 2024: First visit by a GMIT and GIZ delegation to Zittau
• June 2025: Participation of Prof. Dr. Schütte and Acting Prof. Fiß in the RESAT conference in Ulaanbaatar
• 2025: Rector Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch becomes a member of the German Advisory Board of GMIT
• August 2025: Completion of the financial review with GIZ
• Since September 2025: Prof. Dr. Schönherr (HSZG) has been serving as a visiting lecturer at GMIT