Internationalization and gender equality are increasingly recognized at European universities as key prerequisites for scientific excellence. At the same time, research shows that such strategies are rarely translated seamlessly into organizational practice and are often treated as separate fields of action, even though they are intertwined in complex ways. This project therefore examines how internationalization and gender equality strategies, in interplay with demands for excellence, are translated into organizational structures, programs, and everyday practice—and what tensions, synergies, and intended as well as unintended effects emerge in these processes. The empirical case is a Cluster of Excellence, where these demands converge in condensed form.

Methodologically, the project follows a multi-stage qualitative design: the analysis of key strategy documents is combined with expert interviews and narrative interviews with academic and non-academic staff, and the data are analyzed using structuring qualitative content analysis. This allows for the reconstruction of both formal structures and everyday experiences and interpretations. The project thus contributes to current debates on the organization of excellence, internationalization, and gender equality in higher education. 

The project is led by Prof. Dr. Kathrin Zippel, who is happy to answer any questions.