A workshop on interdisciplinarity in research and teaching recently brought Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and Stellenbosch University (SU) colleagues together in Munich. Co-organised by SU’s Policy Innovation Lab and LMU’s Institute for Media and Communication Science it took place just after formal cooperation agreements were signed during the Bavarian Minister President’s visit to Stellenbosch.
The workshop highlighted the alignment between SU and LMU in their efforts to design and deliver interdisciplinary teaching programmes. Both institutions are investing in models that bring together technical, social-scientific and applied perspectives to prepare students for work in fields shaped by AI. Presentations from the Policy Innovation Lab outlined approaches that integrate AI-related methods with conceptual and contextual teaching drawn from multiple disciplines. LMU colleagues reflected on related questions, including the structuring of teaching teams and the management of methodological diversity.
The workshop also provided space to test these ideas against one another and to identify where the two institutions’ approaches naturally complement each other. Participants emphasised the importance of building programmes that retain disciplinary depth while enabling students to work across fields in a structured and purposeful way.
The event followed soon after SU hosted a Bavarian delegation led by Minister President Markus Söder, during which cooperation agreements were signed between SU and Bavarian universities. These agreements aim to strengthen joint research, talent exchange and innovation cooperation, and they provide a strong foundation for deeper academic collaboration. The Munich workshop demonstrated how such commitments are already taking shape through practical engagement between LMU and SU.
Participants identified several areas for collaboration and affirmed that both institutions see interdisciplinarity not as an abstract ambition but as a central part of their academic identities. Generous hospitality from LMU colleagues and a spell of late-autumn sunshine added to the momentum of the discussions.
As the LMU-SU partnership continues to deepen, this workshop stands as an early example of how the two universities are moving from formal agreements to substantive academic cooperation.
 

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