The project aimed to strengthen international academic collaboration and improve the career prospects of students and early career researchers. By deepening partnerships with institutions in Tunisia, Iran, and Israel, we sought to promote joint research, innovation, and mobility. The initiative was designed to enhance the international visibility of the University of Passau, support highly qualified students through their studies and thesis work, and foster intercultural exchange. It also aimed to improve teaching, research, and cooperation structures in all partner countries, expand double degree opportunities to additional institutions, and build on the success of previous initiatives. A strategic goal was to increase the number of doctoral students and attract more international students, including those outside formal funding programmes. The collaboration with Israel was intended to promote more international exchange in the field of teacher education, which has traditionally faced limitations in mobility due to curriculum-specific constraints. All these efforts were intended to contribute to the university’s global competitiveness and internationalisation strategy.