A network that connects

RUN-EU offers exciting opportunities to gain international experience not only for students, but also for FHV administrative staff. Sabine Frick, library staff member and administrator of Contextual Studies at the FHV, took part in a RUN-EU mobility and explains in an interview why it is worth looking beyond university borders. 

What does RUN-EU mean to you?

Sabine Frick: For me, RUN-EU is a network in which the individual universities are very similar in some ways and very different in others. This offers the opportunity to learn from each other, to adopt or adapt ideas. It is inspiring and offers the chance to exchange ideas about similar challenges.

What experiences have you had with RUN-EU so far?

Sabine Frick: Together with my colleague Karin Kaltenbrunner from the library, I worked on the RUN-EU Library Mobility Guide. On this platform, the libraries of the RUN-EU network have bundled the most important information to support students and staff during their RUN-EU mobility. We have already been in contact with colleagues from the partner libraries. We met many of them in person at the RUN-EU General Assembly and Students Week in 2024 when they were our guests. We organized a special library programme for them.

How did you find out about RUN-EU offers?

Sabine Frick: As the administrator of Contextual Studies, I regularly deal with RUN-EU Learning Opportunities because Master's students can also take them as an elective. It's also worth taking a look at the RUN-EU website. Students also often find out more via Instagram, for example via the channel @run.europeanuniversity. You have also been on a RUN-EU mobility yourself.

What was the experience like?

Sabine Frick: I was in Kortrijk at the Belgian partner university HOWEST for a one-week Short Advanced Program (SAP) on the topic of "Creating a Sense of Belonging for Everyone in Our Community". I also took the opportunity to meet my library colleague Eva on site. She showed me around the university's Media Hub and took the time to answer my questions. On the last day, I was even able to help prepare a children's event in the library, which was very exciting. A week after my return, the RUN-EU Staff Week took place in our building and I met Olga, a Howest colleague I had met at SAP in Belgium. Her husband asked her for an apple strudel from Austria. And he got it too. RUN-EU is also a great opportunity to discover what other countries know about Austria and what they think of us.

What do you personally take away from your international experiences?

Sabine Frick: International experiences change your own view of your work and also of yourself. It may well be that you see things a little differently after such an exchange than you did before. And that's exactly what makes such experiences so valuable.