TÜBINGEN SOUTH AFRICA PROGRAM 2020

Welcome to Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen!

Since 2000 it has been our pleasure and great honor to host this four-week seminar designed specifically to give young South Africans a taste of German culture and business life. 

You should feel honored as well for having been chosen by your own universities to participate in this successful immersion program, hosted by Germany’s preeminent, internationally renowned research university. Here, you will be gaining a better understanding of Germany while enjoying life in a lovely and picturesque town famous for its medieval architecture, half-timbered buildings, crooked, winding streets and romantic countryside. You’ll be amazed at how student activities are so much a part of this beautiful and vibrant community. 

I am confident that you will remember your Tübingen experience as a life-altering eye-opener and as one of the most exciting and formative experiences of your young lives.  The Eberhard Karls Universität has a number of ventures relating to South Africa but our Tübingen South Africa Program is by far the most challenging and ambitious. In the past 20 years we have hosted over 360 participants. 

The idea for the Tübingen South Africa Seminar springs from the historical fact that Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape are partner provinces of the State of Baden-Württemberg and Tübingen is located in the heart of the region. 

The inception and continuation of this program would not have been possible without tireless and inspired contributions of a number of organizations that must be mentioned here. Therefore a first big ‘thank you’ goes to the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg, which provides the bulk of funding for this program. 
In addition, we gratefully acknowledge our colleagues at the University of Stellenbosch for coordination and planning in the run-up to your departure. 

Also, we would like to thank the following institutions for their support by financing flights for participants: Stellenbosch University, University of Johannesburg, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Cape Town, University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of Botswana. 

Welcome again to an exciting month. We are very happy to host you and we wish you a wonderful time in Tübingen!

Barbara Owen

Tübingen South Africa Program Coordinator