Written by Colin McEvoy | September 30, 2025 | SHARE
The newly released 2024–25 Partnerships Activity Report highlights faculty-led innovation in energy research, new student pathways, and revitalized collaborations abroad.
Lehigh University added new and deepened existing international partnerships across four continents in the 2024–25 academic year, expanding opportunities for students, faculty, and researchers in fields ranging from entrepreneurship to sustainable energy.
Dozens of Lehigh faculty and students engaged internationally this past year through research collaborations, mobility programs, and exchange pathways with more than 40 global partner institutions with which Lehigh has formalized agreements.
“Across campus, colleagues are leveraging internationalization grants, forging innovative research collaborations, and creating transformative opportunities for students abroad,” said Stacy Burger, Director of Global Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives. “Collectively, these efforts strengthen Lehigh’s partnerships around the world while also enriching the academic and cultural life of our campus.”
These accomplishments are detailed in the newly released 2024–2025 Global Lehigh Partnerships Activity Report, which recognizes and celebrates the many ways Lehigh faculty and staff are advancing the university’s global engagement.
The digital report can be downloaded here.
“The report highlights the breadth of research and teaching initiatives that connect Lehigh to global challenges and perspectives,” Burger said. “From groundbreaking collaborations in STEM and the social sciences to new work in creative arts and policy studies, faculty are pursuing projects that expand our reach and impact.”
The Partnerships Activity Report features a world map that highlights each partner institution with which Lehigh has a signed memorandum of understanding, a student exchange agreement, and/or a dual degree or other degree partnership.
This includes Lehigh’s long-standing partners, as well as institutions with newly signed MOUs like Agastya International Foundation in India, Harokopio University in Greece, TU Bergakademie Freiberg in Germany, and University of Naples Federico II in Italy.
The report also highlights several new initiatives or collaborations from the 2024–25 academic year, including:
The launch of Lehigh’s new Global Engagement Directory, an interactive digital platform showcasing the university’s international partnerships and global activity.
New graduate pathway programs with Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) and SRM University in India, strengthening pipelines for international students.
Lehigh’s first international intern in Africa, placed through a new partnership with the African Center for Governance and Economic Management (ACGEM) in Ghana, marking a milestone in expanding the university’s global footprint.
New partnerships in Italy and Germany advancing global energy research, with faculty leading projects in fusion science, plasma control systems, and circular carbon technologies.
The revitalization of Lehigh’s long-standing research placement program in Galway, Ireland, thanks to the combined efforts of Professor Emeritus of Economics Vincent Munley and Katy Rene, Assistant Director of Study Abroad.
Expanded academic exchange with the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan, where Professor Dimitrios Vavylonis has led six teams of Iacocca International interns and fostered joint student research since 2016.
Additional highlights include Lehigh’s long-standing partnership with TU Dortmund in Germany, senior leader delegation visits overseas, Lehigh hosting top students from three UA Ruhr universities, and the winners of the Faculty Internationalization Grants.
The report also tracks student exchange activity with Lehigh’s global partners, showing inbound and outbound participation with such institutions as Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, IIT Bombay, Singapore University of Technology and Design, TU Dresden, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and more.
Lehigh’s Global Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives team advises on all stages of partnership development, including identifying funding opportunities; developing custom programs; hosting in-bound exchange students, visitors and delegations; and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders.
The Partnerships Activity Report was designed by Ashli Truchon Novak of VillaNovak Creative.