A key research area of the Cluster is the process of exchange between cultures of Asia and Europe, ranging from migration and trade to the formation of concepts and institutions.

[3][4] Shortly it is meant to understand and fill the cultural gap between two continents for the ease of trade and migration.

[7] The Cluster is located at the Karl Jaspers Center for Advanced Transcultural Studies (KJC) at Heidelberg University, Germany.

[9][10][1] The Cluster is headed by three directors, who are Joseph Maran (Pre- and Protohistory), Axel Michaels (Classical Indology) and Barbara Mittler (Sinology).

[17] The "Graduate Programme for Transcultural Studies" offers a structured doctoral program within the interdisciplinary research environment of the Cluster.