European external governance in different policy fields is confronted with global power shifts. Against this background, global dialogue is crucial and there is a need to incorporate expertise on the EU across disciplines. Thus, the objective of CEDI is to establish a regional hub of expertise on the EU’s external relations. Cooperation with Cuba is planned in order to establish EU Studies in the country. This innovative model of JMCE pooling resources of two Jean Monnet Chairs with Engineering, Urban Planning, Law and Economics is unique and will gain great visibility nationally and internationally.Interdisciplinary research and teaching activities fostering the development of innovative methods and spreading EU Studies in TU Darmstadt and Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz are at the core of CEDI. Innovative tools, such as EU simulations at both universities and for high school students will be introduced. Furthermore, the establishment of a blog provides an open platform for discussion of EU topics. Outreach to civil society, general public and a constant link between academia and practice is ensured through CEDI’s methodology.Activities are designed in order to achieve the objective and comprise of: Teaching, Annual Conferences, Workshop Series, European Lounge Talks, Annual Lecture Series, Jean Monnet Award for EU in Global Dialogue, School meets EU Studies, Junior Campus EU+, research projects and exchanges with Cuba to establish EU Studies. Besides the blog, main outputs are: CEDI Virtual Platform, CEDI Website, CEDI Flyer/Brochure, CEDI Working Paper Series, and CEDI publications in peer-reviewed journals or books. A sustainable, interdisciplinary network feeding innovative ideas and rigorous academic research into the current state of play of EU Studies is a major CEDI outcome. Long-term impacts are mainstreaming EU Studies, familiarizing future generations and the general public with EU topics, and maintaining CEDI deliverables after project lifetime.