With its 400-year history, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) is among Germany’s oldest universities, featuring top-level research intiatives and an extraordinarily broad range of subjects with a particular emphasis on life sciences and cultural studies. The university has eleven faculties and five interdisciplinary research centers, 28,000 students, about 400 professors, 5,700 teaching, research, administrative and technical staff. JLU is committed to high-level interdisciplinary research and education, also demonstrated by its international cooperation. Internationalisation is a core element of the university’s self-image and strategic development. By contributing to and fostering intercultural exchanges and international understanding, the university globalizes its social responsibility. The Erasmus+ strategic partnership therefore makes a significant contribution to JLU’s internationalisation strategy. An integral part of JLU’s strong research profile in cultural studies, the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC) was established in 2006 and funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) during both phases of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments (2006-2019). It offers a structured doctoral programme as well as comprehensive support for postdoctoral researchers within an excellent research environment and with a strong network of local, national and international partners. The GCSC’s academic framework reflects a pluralistic understanding of the study of culture. Both interdisciplinary and international in scope, the GCSC provides an ideal context for the project of “Short Forms Beyond Borders”. It brings together about 40 established researchers, 20 postdocs, and 100 doctoral candidates from disciplines as diverse as sociology, political science, history, art history, media studies, literature, linguistics, and pedagogy.