This session discusses three topics and challenges in the academic project Communication and Society@Ibero-America (CS@IA), currently funded by the DAAD-IVAC program. The project is a further cooperation between Heidelberg University, the University of Chile, the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and the Heidelberg Center for Latin America.

CS@IA has led to three outcomes. Firstly, the collaborative curricular development, implementation, and co-teaching of the master course Social and Intercultural Communication Management. Secondly, the creation of non-curricular socio-cultural content for and by students, the online platform Getting to know Germany/Chile, allowed to improve intercultural competencies for students and lecturers. Thirdly, the network service #beabuddy for students, doctoral candidates, and researchers provided knowledge about the dynamics and structures of the collaborating universities to facilitate integration and foster equal exchange and mutual understanding. This long-term project also matches with further internationalization initiatives at Heidelberg University, most prominently the 4EU+ Alliance, as a transnational strategic association of European universities.

After having completed all the aims of the funded project, we address these main topics:

1. Infrastructure and design: developing international multi-partnerships and co-teaching formats from related study fields.
2. Intercultural aspects: In the master course interculturality was not only a reality for lectures and a teaching subject but also an intrinsic feature of the project. This perspective favored student collaboration and engagement to encourage their awareness as intercultural agents but opened challenges for profile-orientated co-creation.
3. Assessment practices: determining valid student evaluation practices and assessment tools for the project that lead to its continuity beyond the funding period, thus conveying a clear sustainable character.