MARSHALL PLAN SCHOLARSHIP: THE PATH TO THE AMERICAN DREAM

The Marshall Plan Scholarship offers Austrian students the unique opportunity to research and study at leading universities in the USA. It supports academic exchange between the two countries, promotes innovative research projects and strengthens transatlantic co-operation. Students from technical and scientific disciplines particularly benefit from this prestigious scholarship, as it opens up international networks and creates new career prospects. In addition, the funding helps to minimise the financial outlay in the states, allowing students to concentrate on the important things during their stay abroad. Lorenzo Zimmermann applied for a Marshall Plan Scholarship and was selected to fund his stay abroad in San Francisco at San Francisco State University (SFSU). 

Lorenzo's project stood out from the many submissions and he was able to convince the jury with his research topic Smart City Initiatives: A Comparative Study of Urban Planning, Transportation Systems, and Digital Infrastructure in the USA and Germany. The project focuses on the development of smart cities in both countries, in particular on urban planning, transport systems and digital infrastructure. The aim of the study is to analyse the success, efficiency and impact of these projects in order to make future smart city strategies more efficient. 

GROWING ACADEMICALLY AND TAKING OFF INTERNATIONALLY

Lorenzo is not only excelling academically during his time in San Francisco, he is also developing personally - inspired by the wide range of courses and the lively campus. The open and helpful nature of the locals and the multicultural flair really impresses the student. He also enthuses about being able to expand his international network and get to know people from all over the world. "I am particularly fascinated by how innovative the city is when it comes to technology: self-driving cars and an extremely well-developed infrastructure network for electric vehicles are just two examples of this," says Lorenzo Zimmermann.

Thanks to the scholarship, Lorenzo is able to experience and finance this stay in the USA. He reports: "It gives me the opportunity to gain deeper insights into my specialism and expand my international network, which will benefit me in my future academic and professional career." Life in the States is very expensive without this support, making it impossible for many students to have such an experience. The Kufstein University of Applied Sciences is allowed to nominate one student from technical and scientific degree programmes each year to apply for the Marshall Plan Scholarship. This means that every year a student is given this unique opportunity to gain international experience, familiarise themselves with new cultures and advance their research goals.