International knowledge exchange between students at Stellenbosch University and TU Dresden

International knowledge exchange between students at Stellenbosch University and TU Dresden

Made possible by the EU funding program Erasmus+ KA171, innovative teaching and learning formats are being created that not only promote mobility, but also open up new perspectives for research, teaching and skills development. Project-based formats such as hackathons offer ideal conditions for developing future skills in a practical way, for example in the areas of teamwork, problem solving, digital skills and intercultural communication. One example of this is the international hackathon organized by Prof. Daan Le Roux (Stellenbosch University, South Africa) and Thomas T. Richter (CODIP, TUD Dresden University of Technology), which was held as part of the collaboration between Stellenbosch University and TUD Dresden University of Technology.

Review: International exchange in the year 2025

A highlight of the cooperation in 2025 was the hackathon, which took place from June 9 to 13, 2025 in the Open Science Lab of the SLUB Dresden. Five students from Stellenbosch University traveled to Dresden as part of the Erasmus+ support to work together with five students from TU Dresden on a realistic innovation challenge. The focus was on the practical task of developing an AI-based solution for automated email classification, with subtasks such as sentiment analysis, text generation, data protection and prioritization of responses. The project was supported by cloud-based tools. In addition to the technical implementation, the focus was on key skills such as teamwork, intercultural communication and design thinking.

"The hackathon showed me how much potential there is in international collaboration. I'm looking forward to continuing this in South Africa!" Jan Mattfeld, participant TU Dresden

"The hackathon was a great opportunity to work together with students from South Africa on an exciting AI project, learn from each other and make friends. I am looking forward to the trip to get to know student life in Stellenbosch and to continue the exchange." Alexander Mitte, participant TU Dresden

The scientific return visit took place in November 2025: CODIP employees and doctoral students traveled to Stellenbosch University for a research stay to advance their dissertation projects in the fields of knowledge management and digital education and to prepare further projects. This was a further step towards deepening the institutional partnership in the long term.

Outlook: Continuation of the hackathon series in South Africa in 2026

Thanks to the strategic deepening of the partnership, the next international hackathon will take place at Stellenbosch University in March 2026. This time, TU Dresden students will travel to South Africa to develop new solutions on site, gain experience and further expand the bilateral partnership. Preparations are already underway in terms of content and organization.

In a targeted manner, the funding will not only enable students to stay in South Africa, but also to establish and intensify collaborations such as the partnership between TU Dresden and Stellenbosch University. In this context, special thanks go to Tabea Gösche, who is responsible for the coordinated Erasmus+ processes at TU Dresden's International Office and has made a significant contribution to the success of this cooperation.