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Hundreds of ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Leicester (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) students are packed and ready for lift-off as they embark on a truly epic trip to Berlin.

Following the success of a similarly big-scale trip to New York in January, more than 800 students and staff will be spending nearly a week in the German capital, taking part in a huge range of academic trips and experiences which will give real-world dimension to their classroom studies.

The first planes touch down on Sunday, carrying students and staff, before trips begin early on Monday morning.

Students from nearly 35 courses will be flying to Berlin, where, over several days, they will visit businesses, factories, museums and other organisations, seeing first-hand the lessons and examples they have been learning about in the classroom.

Among the planned visits, students studying journalism will visit the Deutsche Welle studios, physics students will be shown around the Archenhold observatory, engineering students will visit the BMW motorcycle plant, while those studying youth work will spend a day helping at community groups Project Gangway and Berliner Aids-Hilfe.

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Music Technology students will be visiting some of the world leading acoustics and audio tech at the Technical University Berlin, as well as touring the sound stages at the famous Babelsberg film studios, at which movies like The Bourne Ultimatum and The Hunger Games were produced.

Meanwhile, Policing Studies, Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation students can visit the Stasi museum, and explore the history of Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall. They will also visit the Sachsenhausen concentration camp to try and understand what took place there.

During the visit, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ will hold an event at the British Embassy, where ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dominic Shellard will join Sir Sebastian Woods, UK Ambassador to Germany and students studying at the university to address an audience on the benefits of international education and the importance of working to build relationship across Europe.

Professor Dominic Shellard said: “We have chosen to come to Berlin because it is a city which embodies internationalism, inclusiveness and openness to all.

“We want our students to be inspired by the city and to have their academic studies enriched by the wide range of real-world experiences Berlin has to offer.

“International study is one of the most transforming experiences there is and, with Article 50 triggered and Brexit less than two years away, we need more than ever to be filled with the spirit of Berlin and to demonstrate our commitment to tolerance, a global outlook and the extraordinary benefits that international engagement can bring.”

The event  is the latest such event as part of ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ’s #LoveInternational campaign.

The campaign, which began almost a year ago after the EU referendum, has involved a series of visits to cities across Europe, to Vilnius, Warsaw, Stockholm among others, engaging higher education experts, potential students and alumni in each region, building new relationships, discussing the impact of Brexit and offering reassurance that UK higher education remains welcoming to international staff and students.

By January 2017, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ’s undergraduate EU applications had risen 29 per cent, bucking a national decline in numbers of 7.43 per cent.