IBSEN meeting November 2025 – Split, Croatia

Vol 28, Issue 13, 12 December 2025

The bi-annual meeting of the International Business Studies and Exchange Network (IBSEN) took place November 10-12 in the Faculty of Economics, at the University of Split in Croatia. IBSEN was first established in 1992, and has now developed into a well-established network of universities from Germany, Finland, Czech Republic, Canada, Netherlands, Italy, USA, Turkey, South-Korea, France, Croatia, and Spain. The network conducts many activities through research to summer schools, BIPs, and also double-degrees. (See IBSEN Network – International Business Studies Exchange Network) It is well-recommended that students wishing to go on exchange can choose one of the IBSEN partners and get personal recommendations for the contact persons of their own universities.

Each year the partners meet up usually in May and November at one of the partner locations. In May it was the turn of Bielefeld, and this November was the turn of a new partner in Split. At the meetings, various topics are presented and discussed, and suggestions for new collaborations are put forward. It is very useful for the development of international universities to learn from others experiences in the field of international education and research.

As well as the general meetings taking place, the host always introduces their facilities and presents successful projects that they are actively engaged in. This is especially useful for future collaborations and the development of ideas for other partners.

Of course, it’s not all work and no play, hosts always arrange a social programme for the evenings, with welcoming dinners and tours of the cities. Sometimes there are also special visits to interesting locations and tourist sights. In Split we were treated to two wonderful dinners at restaurant Bokeria https://www.facebook.com/bokeriasplit/ and restaurant Adriatic https://www.restaurantadriatic.com/hr/.

In addition to dinners, we were also treated to a guided tour of the Diocletian’s Palace, an ancient Roman palace and fortress complex. Our wonderful guide brought the history of the palace to life with her moving stories of the time and also explaining some more modern-day aspects of life in Split.

Another interesting tour was of the residential area of Split 3. The guide that day explained how the residential area came to be built to facilitate the housing needs of the growing industrialisation of the 1970s. It was fascinating but also heartbreaking to hear the stories and struggles of the residents in that area through Croatia’s modern troubled history.

Although the meeting took place in November, the weather in Split was still very pleasant, especially for visitors from more northern climates. We had full sunny days of around +20C, perfect for exploring the ancient city, markets, parks, and beaches. Myself and my colleague even managed a trip to the historic town of Trogir a short taxi ride away.

For students interested in studying in Croatia,staff who wish to go on a short exchange, or simply anyone interested in travelling, I can recommend Split as a great destination.