The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Center for Lifelong Learning (C3L) at the University of Oldenburg (Germany) are jointly organising the sixteenth DIES University Leadership and Management Training Programme UNILEAD in Oldenburg, enabling young managers at higher education institutions in developing and emerging countries to successfully tackle every-day challenges. In order to do so, the programme brings together the topics Project Management, Strategic Management & Academic Leadership and Human Resource Management with individual and practice-oriented change projects of each participant.

Developed in 2008, UNILEAD is part of the DIES programme (Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education
Strategies), which is jointly coordinated by the DAAD and German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) since 2001 and
funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Further information on the DAAD DIES Programme and the DIES Training Courses can be found at www.daad.de/dies/en.

Course and Methodology

UNILEAD focuses on three key areas:

1. Project Management. This includes courses on Methodology of Project Management and Financial Management in projects.
2. Strategic Management & Academic Leadership. This includes courses of theoretical basics and practical tools for the development and implementation of Strategic Management and acquisition of competences in the area of Leadership.
3. Human Resource Management. This includes courses on Instruments of Human Resource Development, Conflict Management and Communication.

In order to complement these three modules, additional topics, such as Risk Management, Team and Key Competences, and Financial Management are touched upon. In addition, a web-seminar on the topic of “Digital Transformation in Higher Education” is integrated into the curriculum.

The core of the entire programme is an individual and practice-oriented change project that participants are required to propose already in their application. The project should explicitly be linked to the strategic objectives of their universities and the field they are working in. The course content will always reflect on and relate to these change projects.

The methodology will be strictly project-oriented and is based on case studies or questions derived from the particular job situation of the participants. Thus, it is expected to bring in personal experience and to share this knowledge with the group of around 25 participants from different regions and countries of the world. High personal motivation, the willingness to get actively involved during the online and contact phases and excellent English language skills are essential for the successful completion of this course.