Franco-German exchanges: students from TU Berlin visit Télécom Paris
16 April 2025
Photograph Verena Galganek
A Friendly Welcome Lunch
The German students were warmly received at a welcome lunch organized by the International Relations Department. This meal, which brought together all 23 participants and their professors, provided an opportunity to break the ice and set the foundation for the upcoming projects. The first encounters were supervised by Verena Galganek, teacher and coordinator of the German section at Télécom Paris, and Jean-Philippe Hashold, Director of the French and Italian sections at TU Berlin.
A Two-Phase Project
Coordinated by Verena Galganek and Jean-Philippe Hashold, the exchange between the two institutions unfolds in two phases:
- At Télécom Paris: After an initial phase of exchanges and research, the German-French projet groups work together to produce bilingual documentary films on topics related to the two countries.
- At TU Berlin: In early May 2025, the 9 Télécom Paris engineering students will travel to Berlin to deepen their German language skills and finalize their documentary films together with the students from TU Berlin.
A Lasting Partnership
This exchange is part of an Erasmus+ partnership established between Télécom Paris and TU Berlin since 2011. For the past four years, this Franco-German partnership has been an integral part of the Human Development courses within the Télécom Paris engineering program. It offers a tangible opportunity for both French and German students to develop intercultural and linguistic skills through the production of films presented at the end of the project.
Future Exchange Opportunities
This exchange allows German students to gain first-hand insight into the academic cursus and campus life at Télécom Paris. It also encourages Télécom Paris students to consider an exchange at TU Berlin or with other German-speaking partners to fulfill their mobility requirement. This educational and cultural experience helps foster the intercultural openness essential for training engineers ready to thrive in a globalized environment.
We were delighted to welcome 15 students from the Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) to Télécom Paris from March 20 to 24, 2024. This visit is part of a Franco-German exchange in which 12 engineering students from Télécom Paris are participating this year. The exchange is made possible thanks to the financial support of Erasmus+ and the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ/DFJW).
The Department of International Relations (DRI) organized a welcome lunch on March 21 to bring together the 27 students participating in the Franco-German tandem and their teachers. This exchange is financed by Erasmus+ grants and a subsidy from the Franco-German Youth Office, represented this year by Michaela Christmann, project manager for university seminars and workcamps. The tandem is organized by Verena Galganek, teacher and coordinator of the German section at Télécom Paris, and Jean-Philippe Hashold, director of the French and Italian sections at TU Berlin.
For the third year in a row, the exchange provides an enriching linguistic and cultural experience for 15 German students from the TU Berlin and 12 engineering students from Télécom Paris. After an initial phase of exchange and research, the bilingual groups produce documentaries or reports on topics related to our two countries, and in particular to Franco-German cooperation.
The first part of the exchange took place from March 20 to 24 in Paris, where the students worked on and produced films on the French aspects of the topics they had chosen. At the end of May 2024, the students from Télécom Paris will travel to Berlin to deepen their knowledge of the German language and to finalize their film projects. During their stay, a visit to the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications is also planned where our students will have the opportunity to learn more about the work of the “eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)” research group.
The tandem program is part of the human training courses of the MSc in Engineering at Télécom Paris and builds on the Erasmus+ partnership established with the TU Berlin in 2011. It promotes linguistic and cultural openness and helps prepare future engineers to communicate effectively in an international context. To go one step further, French students have the exciting opportunity to study at the TU Berlin or other prestigious partner institutions. And, Télécom Paris extends a warm invitation to TU Berlin students to join us on our campus.
In March 2023, Télécom Paris had the pleasure of welcoming students from the Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin). This 2nd Franco-German exchange on documentary film-making is based on the Erasmus+ partnership established between our two institutions. [/chapo]
This year, fifteen German students had the opportunity to live this rich cultural and linguistic experience. Eleven students from Télécom Paris will be going to Berlin in June to complete these exchanges, which are financially supported by Erasmus+ and the Franco-German Office for Youth (OFAJ/DFJW).
Since 2011, Télécom Paris and TU Berlin are partners in an Erasmus+ exchange agreement. This year and for the 2nd edition, 26 students from our 2 institutions have the opportunity to participate in a bilingual « tandems” project, within this framework. This project is directed by Verena Galganek, professor and coordinator of German at Télécom Paris, and by Jean-Philippe Hashold, director of the French and Italian Studies Department at the TU Berlin.
After a first phase of exchanges and research, the mixed groups make documentary films on subjects related to Franco-German cooperation. First, the topics concerning France are worked on and filmed in Paris. At the beginning of June 2023, the Télécom Paris students will in turn go on a study trip to Berlin to deepen their knowledge of German and finalize the projects by filming, this time, in the German capital.
For the 2023 edition, the themes chosen by the bilingual groups are:
- Paris for all: accessibility of transport
- Electricity in Paris
- Brutalism
- Das Fahrrad in Paris
- How to make Paris more user-friendly: speed limits, pedestrian cities
During the lunch organized by the Department of Languages and Cultures and the Department of International Relations (DRI), students were able to advance their group work and exchange with Lu K., a student from TU Berlin. Lu has completed a graduate semester on our campus where she has been studying Deep Learning. One of the reasons she chose to study at Télécom Paris was the interesting experience she gained by participating in the « Tandems » project the previous year.
As Catherine Vazza, deputy director of the DRI, pointed out in a brief welcome speech: « If you are considering a study period in France, feel free to come to Télécom Paris! We would be delighted to welcome you to take courses in our areas of expertise: artificial intelligence, deep learning, image and signal processing, programming, etc. »
The aim of their visit? Work on projects in bilangual tandem groups supervised by Jean-Philippe Hashold, a French teacher at TU Berlin and Verena Galganek, a German teacher at Télécom Paris.
After an initial phase of exchange and research activities, the groups started producing documentary films on subjects related to Franco-German scientific cooperation. In June 2022, Télécom Paris students will go on a study trip to Berlin to finalize the projects and further develop their German knowledge.
During the lunch organized by the Languages & Cultures and the International Relations Departments, Télécom Paris students interested in studying in Germany were able to discuss with German students in a very friendly atmosphere.
