This paper presents an overview of the activities and results of the European Network of German and Contrastive Linguistics (GerCoLiNet), which was part of the European University Alliance 4EU+ (May 2021 – June 2022). With the cooperation of five European universities (Copenhagen, Milan, Paris, Prague, Warsaw) as well as the Institute for German Language (Mannheim) as an external partner, the network put together a training programme for MA and PhD students of German language and literature at the universities involved in the project. Developed within the framework of contrastive linguistics, the programme takes into account empirical approaches to both theoretical and applied aspects with special attention paid to the fields of Corpus Linguistics, Lexicology, Lexicography, and Discourse Analysis. In keeping with the basic ideals of Flagship 2, i.e. Europeanness, data literacy and multilingualism, particular emphasis was placed on networking among students and young academics within the 4EU+ Alliance. In this paper I first discuss the role and the importance of German, the exclusive lingua franca within the project, as an identity-forming element. Then, I explain the four main phases of the project; finally, I outline some innovative teaching strategies which were used to promote and increase interaction between partners as well as between the students involved in the project.