From Coffee talk to IZ Joint Seminar Series: Our Journey Towards Interdisciplinary exchange at Campus Mitte

15.05.2026, IZ D2MCM

Since the founding of the Interdisciplinary Center for Digitality and Digital Methods at Campus Mitte (IZ D2MCM), we have been experimenting with different talk formats to bring together researchers working on digitality and digital methods across the six faculties and the Institute for Islamic Theology (BIT) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin’s Campus Mitte.

The beginnings

Our journey began in December 2021 with the Coffee Talks — a compact, low-threshold format that invited researchers to share their work in just ten minutes, followed by an open discussion. Held every Thursday at 9:15 am, the talks were deliberately brief and accessible, offering colleagues a stimulating start to the morning alongside a freshly brewed coffee. The format quickly proved its value: beyond the original goal of getting to know one another, the talks revealed surprising overlaps in research interests and sparked ideas for collaboration across disciplines — from the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economics to the Faculty of Theology and the Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology.

As the series evolved, we experimented further. The Coffee Talks shifted into Lunch Talks, moving the conversation to midday while keeping the tight, productive format of a 10–15 minute presentation followed by up to 15 minutes of discussion — all within a 30-minute slot that fit comfortably into a busy academic schedule. Over time, we tried additional variations, including Cookie Talks in the morning, each iteration refining how we could best serve the growing community of researchers around Campus Mitte.

And now?

This year, the series has found its current home as a Joint Seminar Series (in German & English), running Fridays from 13:00 to 13:45 in a relaxed atmosphere. The talks are held in hybrid format, so researchers can join us in person at the IZ Office in Dorotheenstraße 65, Room 5.79 or participate remotely from wherever they are working that day.

What began as a simple idea — a short talk, a cup of coffee, a conversation — has grown into an established forum for interdisciplinary exchange. We are grateful to every speaker, contributor, and team member who has made this journey possible, and we look forward to the talks ahead.

Cite as: Eliza Mandieva: From Coffee talk to IZ Joint Seminar Series: Our Journey Towards Interdisciplinary exchange at Campus Mitte. In: IZ D2MCM Blog [Weblog], 21.05.2026. URL: https://izd2m.hu-berlin.de/blog-posts/2026/05/21/bp-coffeetalk-seminarseries.html.