As part of the International Week at LAB University of Applied Sciences (LAB) in Finland, Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar) and LAB signed the strategic cooperation agreement on February 10, 2026. The ceremony took place at the LAB President's Office on the Lahti campus.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Bousonville, Vice President for Studies, International Affairs and Sustainability, signed the agreement on behalf of the Executive Board of htw saar. In his speech, he emphasized the long-standing and trusting cooperation between the two universities within the framework of the ERASMUS cooperation, which was first formalized between the Faculties of Business and Economics in 2010. In the following years, further faculties were included in the cooperation and currently all htw saar faculties participate in the exchange with the LAB. The results of the ERASMUS cooperation are intensive and regular exchanges of students and lecturers as well as the first joint publications and applications for research projects.
Based on the constructive discussions between representatives of both presidencies - which first took place at htw saar in 2022, were continued by President Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Leonhard at LAB in 2024 and by Vice President Prof. Dr. Charis Förster in 2025 - both universities have set an important course for the future with the signing of the strategic partnership agreement. The existing cooperation between htw saar and LAB will be institutionally strengthened and the framework for expanding cooperation, particularly in the areas of research and technology transfer, will be defined.
The signing of the agreement underlines the strategic importance of European university partnerships in times of geopolitical change.
"Our partnership with the LAB is an outstanding example of how international cooperation can be supported by the entire range of disciplines at the university, over and above the commitment of individuals. With the agreement that has now been signed, we are creating a reliable basis for systematically developing this cooperation further and opening up new opportunities for students and researchers in an international context," explained Prof. Dr. Thomas Bousonville.