Mongolia has one of the world’s largest reserves of raw materials. However, there is only a limited number of highly qualified technical specialists and managerial staff in the raw material processing industry and affiliated fields. The project German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology (GMIT) is a response to this situation.

Background

In order to counter the lack of technically qualified engineers in the Mongolian raw materials sector it was decided to establish a university with a high practical orientation based on international quality standards.

Within the context of the German-Mongolian raw materials partnership initiative, the GMIT was founded in autumn 2011. The initiative was jointly initiated by the German chancellor Angela Merkel and the Mongolian president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.

The establishment of the university is financed by the Mongolian Ministry for Education, Culture and Science and on the German side by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the DAAD are responsible for the implementation of the project.

Programme objectives

The aim is to establish an internationally-oriented and quality-focused university that produces highly qualified experts and provides scientific and technological expertise to meet the industry’s demand for professionals and to increase the economic development in the raw materials sector.

Funded measures and partners involved

GMIT is currently offering a one-year preparatory programme with courses in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and English. This is followed by the four bachelor’s degree programmes in Mechanical Engineering, Raw Materials and Process Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Industrial Engineering, which share most of their modules within the first semesters. A new master programme on International Management of Resources and the Environment has been launched in the academic year of 2017/18.

All study programmes are offered exclusively in English language and are based on German standards of higher education. The study programmes have a strong practical focus, especially the mandatory industrial-internship of 14 weeks. The implementation of further degree-seeking programmes and strengthening of research capacity is planned to raise attractiveness of GMIT and to meet the demands of Mongolia’s raw material-processing industry.

The Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, the Faculty for Geo-Resources and Materials Technology at the RWTH Aachen and the BTU Cottbus are partners of this new university. Institutes and individual professors from other German universities, such as the TH Georg Agricola Bochum, the TU Darmstadt and the University of Wuppertal are contributing to the development of the curriculum and teaching.

Results

The first lectures were given in September 2013 with almost 40 students in the above mentioned one-year preparatory programme. The overall number of students has increased to 144 in the academic year 2017/18. On June 21, 2018 the GMIT awarded its first 12 bachelor degrees.

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