In addition to the ongoing student exchanges with our global partners, Royal Thimphu College has sent more than 60 teaching and nonteaching staff on outbound mobilities to 13 universities in Europe this Summer. The Erasmus+ programme for higher education funded by the European Union supports teaching and administrative staff to take part in professional development activities every year. The programme allows staff to teach and train abroad, creating an international learning experience for all involved. RTC currently has partnerships with over 40 European universities.

• A group of 15 faculty and staff attended a 2-week long summer school at Vrije University in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The participants enrolled in Master’s level courses relevant to their current roles at RTC and areas of their personal and professional interest. 

• 8 members of the RTC’s faculty and staff visited VIVES University of Applied Sciences in Belgium along with 14 other participants from 7 countries. 1 RTC student will be studying for a year at VIVES starting this Fall. 3 staff members from the group additionally visited WSB University in Poznan, Poland. During their visit, they had professional gatherings to share knowledge and experience, and discuss future collaborations. RTC faculty and students have already engaged in cross-institutional teaching-learning through credited virtual exchanges with WSB Poznan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

• A team of 3 faculty and 3 staff visited The Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine în Timișoara, Romania to attend an international week organized by the host institution. During the visit, the team met more than 13 university representatives from around the world. Also in Romania, another group of staff and faculty members visited Vasile Goldiş University. Participants had the opportunity to discuss various means and approaches to the internationalization of higher education institutions around the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The first 2 groups of RTC’s faculty and staff visited the SRH University in Heidelberg, Germany. SRH University is one of Germany’s oldest private universities, and Heidelberg is world-renowned as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, combining both historical ambiance and top-level research. 5 RTC students will be at SRH Heidelberg this fall as part of the Erasmus+ mobility to study abroad for one academic year.

• 2 staff from RTC attended the 5th FRIENDS partner meeting at the Silesian University of Technology, in Gliwice, Poland. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss the Project Progress during the pandemic, Project Management, Financial Reporting, and the 6th upcoming project meeting to be held in Bhutan at RTC. 
• 3 faculty and staff visited Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE) in Hungary. ELTE is Hungary’s largest and oldest university dating back to 1635. The three participants from RTC spent 12 days in Budapest taking part in various professionalization and familiarization activities organized by ELTE’s International Strategy Office.
• 2 members of the RTC staff visited the RheinAhrCampus in Germany. They participated in an international week consisting of presentations and networking with participants from institutions around the world. Additionally, they had the opportunity to give guest lectures to the students at the host institution. 

 

 

 

 

 

• 1 RTC staff member visited the University of Liechtenstein, engaging in discussions with the Rector, Deans, and International Office staff on internationalization, systems, good practices, and challenges. RTC Bhutan and the University of Liechtenstein will soon be implementing the first-ever exchanges of students between the two countries. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• A team of 7 RTC staff and faculty visited the University of Huelva in Spain. The participants attended an international week held at the host institution and had the opportunity to meet university representatives from around the world.
• A team of 6 staff and faculty visited Vilnius University of Applied Sciences (VIKO) in Lithuania. Faculty members had the opportunity to teach and the administrative staff learned about the institutional practices of the host university. 
• 2 faculty and staff represented RTC in GI_Salzburg22 organized in Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg, Austria. GI_Salzburg is an annual meeting place enabling dialogue among geospatial minds, informing the GeoInformation Society, and contributing to a more just, ethical, and sustainable society. It envisions innovation, networking, and continuing education in all areas of Geoinformatics. Interdisciplinary discussions, forward-looking ideas, and a personal atmosphere accompany and shape the exchange of science and research, business, and application. The two institutes have agreed to work on a project to enhance the GIS knowledge infrastructure in Royal Thimphu College for the benefit of the students and the country. Additionally, 2 faculty members visited the same university for the same purpose at different times. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• A team of 3 faculty members attended a 2-week intensive training at Graz, Austria, and the University of Alicante, Spain as a part of the ENCORE (Entrepreneurship Knowledge Centers to Foster Innovative Entrepreneurship Practices in Education and Research) project funded by the European Union. They attended and facilitated a series of TOTs (Training of Trainers) at the 2 institutions. During the training, they met scientists, experts, entrepreneurs, professionals, and teachers who were enthusiastic and ever-ready to communicate, share and engage with the teams. 
• 2 staff members attended the Youth Worker Seminar for Cooperation in Thailand as part of the Erasmus+ RECALL Project funded by the European Union. The seminar focused on exploring the contexts and the possibilities for the development of green entrepreneurship in project consortium countries (Bhutan, Bulgaria, India, North Macedonia, Thailand). They also discussed designing and developing key training modules activities & competencies for the prospective green entrepreneurs which will roll out during the boot camps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Erasmus+ mobility partnerships and capacity-building projects were initiated in 2017 and involved the exchanges of staff and students between partner universities and long-term project works. The recent mobilities were enriching and fulfilling experiences for all the participants allowing them to explore, engage and learn. It also served as an opportunity for RTC and the host institutions to discuss and plan future collaborative programmes to explore areas for joint academic projects. The mobilities not only contributed to the professional development of the participants but also contributed to the development of their intercultural competencies. We look forward to future collaborations between the institutions.