The International Alumni Week 2025, jointly organized by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Stuttgart (UoS), aims to bring together international alumni and researcher alumni for an interdisciplinary exchange with researchers from both institutions. The focus is on future mobility, production systems, and urban planning. The international alumni week will be supported by the DAAD with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (AA). As part of 200th anniversary celebrations of KIT, participants will have the opportunity to take part in selected event formats, such as the KIT Science Week, fostering networking beyond the Alumni Week itself.

A key highlight is the chance to engage with stakeholders from the InnovationCampus Future Mobility (ICM), a cross-university innovation ecosystem dedicated to transforming mobility and production systems. Additionally, participants will actively contribute by developing and discussing their own concepts for sustainable mobility and production systems in an Alumni CoLab format. To ensure an engaging and participant-driven experience, the final program will be co-designed with attendees, incorporating their needs and interests from an early planning stage.

 

Overview

Target Group International Research Alumni (German citizens cannot be funded through project funds) of KIT and the University of Stuttgart who are working on sustainability, mobility, and digital transformation in academia and industry and are interested in interdisciplinary collaboration. Research Alumni are defined as international researchers who have studied or conducted research at one of the participating institutions and have spent at least three months in Germany as part of their academic career.

 
Dates & Venues October 12 – 18, 2025

Karlsruhe and Stuttgart
Online Kick Off Program (Link) Date / time to be confirmed: Virtual preparatory meeting The event will provide participants with an opportunity to introduce themselves and share their interests before the in-person Alumni Week in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart.

 
Formats • Expert lectures and keynotes
• Lab tours and interactive demonstrations
• Participatory workshops (World Café, BarCamp, CoLabs)
• Open discussions and co-creation sessions
• Cultural networking events

 

 

Project Goal and Structure

The project aims to foster interdisciplinary and international collaboration by engaging researchers from various disciplines and expertise areas. It focuses on leveraging the diverse competencies of international research alumni to explore various innovation ecosystems, highlighting sustainable production processes, urban planning, and the social, technical, and economic innovations needed for a transition towards a more sustainable society.
A key objective is to strategically enhance the research alumni network of KIT, strengthening international cooperation and knowledge exchange. Alumni and research alumni will be encouraged to act as multipliers, reinforcing ties between KIT, the University of Stuttgart, and their home institutions.