Since 2014, the German Argentinean University Center (CUAA-DAHZ) has been funding the Double Doctoral degree in Astrophysics (DDAp), a double doctorate program between Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)  and Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) in Buenos Aires. This program has been built on the long-standing collaboration in astroparticle physics that has developed within the Pierre Auger Observatory in Malargüe, Argentina.

Doctoral students participating in the DDAp work on joint research projects in astroparticle physics and detector technologies and usually have two stays in the partner country from a total of about one year. The respective research project is complemented by a lecture program covering astrophysics, astroparticle and particle physics as well as German and Spanish courses. Embedded in the KIT Center Elementary Particle and Astroparticle Physics (KCETA), doctoral students of DDAp participate as fellows in workshops and lectures of the Karlsruhe School of Elementary Particle and Astroparticle Physics (KSETA). At the conclusion of a project after about three to three and a half years, KIT and UNSAM, will conduct a joint examination. Upon passing the examination, both institutions jointly award the doctoral degree.

In recent years, the successful collaboration has developed into a "Strategic Partnership UNSAM-KIT" (SPUK), which is open to all joint research activities beyond the original subject areas.