HAI Members in Asia
Most international researchers at Heidelberg University come from the world's largest continent – which means that former researchers from Asia also make up the highest proportion of HAI members in the region
As an attractive partner in a strong scientific environment, the university maintains an extensive network in Asia: ten of Ruperto Carola's twenty-eight partner universities are located in Asia alone. Scientific exchange is promoted through a wide range of collaborations and joint research projects, and there is lively mobility of students and researchers between the locations. The university's strategic focus on the Asian region and its role in building bridges between Europe and Asia in science and education is clear to see – not least through the university's two foreign branch offices in this region.
In 2009, the Heidelberg Centre South Asia (HCSA) in Delhi, India, began its work, followed in 2015 by the Heidelberg University Office Kyoto (HUOK) in Japan as the fourth foreign branch office. The two offices represent the university in South and East Asia, promote academic exchange and cooperation in research and teaching, provide information about research and study opportunities in Heidelberg, organise events and connect Heidelberg alumni. Thanks to them, the university's visibility in Asia is strengthened in the long term. Ruperto Carola's close relationship with Asia is based not least on the long-standing connections of the South Asia Institute (SAI), which has been operating branches in India and Nepal, for example, since the 1960s. The university is also active in the German-Japanese university consortium HeKKSaGOn, which was founded in 2010 and brings together Heidelberg University, the University of Göttingen and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology with three of Japan's leading universities – Kyoto University, Osaka University and Tohoku University.
Characterised by the university's activities and partnerships in Asia and supported by the work of the two branch offices, HAI also has an important focus on networking activities in East and South Asia. As early as 1996, the year HAI was founded, the first alumni meetings were held in China, followed by events in Taiwan and the following year in Japan. In the years that followed, smaller and larger activities in various formats continued to be organised in these countries. HAI has also been active in India since 2012: the first meeting of the Research Alumni Network (RAN) took place in Delhi at the same time as the inaugural meeting of Heidelberg Alumni India (HAIN). India quickly developed into a regional focus in the early years of RAN. A short time later, a strong Heidelberg research community also formed in Japan, which led to the fourth RAN network meeting abroad in 2018 on the occasion of the founding of Heidelberg Alumni Japan (HAJP). There are also numerous HAI members and various activities in other regions of Asia. Heidelberg Alumni Turkey (HATR), for example, is one of the few international groups that organises a regular get-together in Heidelberg. Heidelberg Alumni United Arab Emirates (HAUAE), the most recent Heidelberg initiative in Asia, was formed in 2025.
HAI offers not only country-specific, but also subject-specific programmes: For example, one of the five regional conferences of “Alumni.med.Live” took place in Xian, China, in 2000. The project, a cooperation between Heidelberg University and five other universities in Baden-Württemberg from 1999 to 2004, was a worldwide continuing education programme for medical graduates of the participating project partners. The initiative German-Chinese Alumni Network for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy (DCAPP) was established between 2017 and 2023. The aim of this cross-institutional cooperation project was to strengthen Chinese expertise in Germany and bilateral cooperation structures in the field of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy through joint activities between German and Chinese experts. HAI also has strong links with Asia in other specialist areas. For example, the South Asia Institute is represented by a group at HAI, as are the Cluster of Excellence Asia and Europe in a Global Context, the Heidelberg Institute for Global Health and the Alumni Association of the Institute of Sinology.
Online Groups
An alumni group for your country
Would you like to network with like-minded people in your country and stay in touch with Heidelberg University? Would you like to set up an alumni group for your country? Then send us an e-mail, we look forward to hearing from you: clubs@alumni.uni-heidelberg.de
Join Us
Are you an alumnus or alumna of Heidelberg University and live in Asia, but have not yet registered with the HAI network? Or do you know someone who is? Then register with us and join in – we look forward to hearing from you!
