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    War in Ukraine: Impact on universities and academic relations

News

Science needs liberal democracy and the rule of law

Science needs liberal democracy and the rule of law

Statement by the Executive Board of the HRK: Against the backdrop of increasingly blatant anti-democratic endeavours and the associated contempt for humanity, we emphasise clearly and unequivocally: liberal democracy and the rule of law are the immovable pillars of our country and its institutions. They are also an essential prerequisite for the existence of a competitive and internationally compatible German higher education system. The comprehensive legal protection of academic freedom, as provided in our Basic Law, is the basis for the success of our scientific endeavour. Scientists must be able to freely choose and work on research topics. Research and teaching must not be instrumentalised for political purposes. Only in this way can science realise its full potential for the economy and society.

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Statement by HRK President Prof. Dr. Walter Rosenthal on the attack at Charles University in Prague

Statement by HRK President Prof. Dr. Walter Rosenthal on the attack at Charles University in Prague

"We were deeply shocked and saddened by the attack at Charles University in Prague. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families and friends of the people who lost their lives. Our thoughts are also with the many people who were injured yesterday and whose families and friends are now fearing for their lives and health."

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DEAL Consortium and Springer Nature Renew Successful Open Access Agreement for Germany

DEAL Consortium and Springer Nature Renew Successful Open Access Agreement for Germany

Following news last month of both parties' intention to reach an agreement, the German DEAL Consortium and Springer Nature have announced the signing of a new Open Access (OA) agreement that will boost international reach and impact for Germany-based researchers and provide academic institutions in Germany with open access publication options and reading access to world-leading content.

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DEAL Consortium and Wiley Sign New 5-Year Open Access Agreement

DEAL Consortium and Wiley Sign New 5-Year Open Access Agreement

The DEAL Consortium and scholarly publisher Wiley today announced the signing of a new five-year agreement which will allow scientists from German academic institutions to publish their research open access (OA) within Wiley’s portfolio of scientific journals. Instituted by the Alliance of German Science Organizations the DEAL Consortium is open to more than 900 mostly publicly funded academic institutions in Germany. Signed by Wiley and MPDL Services gGmbH as the DEAL Operating Entity, the new agreement will begin in January 2024, offering further support for the needs of the scholarly community and accelerate the open access transformation.

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Student numbers: Universities remain at a high level

Student numbers: Universities remain at a high level

HRK President Walter Rosenthal commented on the Federal Statistical Office's press release on current student numbers as follows: "Overall, student numbers remain at a very high level. The number of first-semester students even rose by 1.2 per cent to 479,000. While the number of young people inclined to study had already decreased before the COVID-19 pandemic and led to a slight decline in the number of new students, this effect was exacerbated by the absence of international students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The universities have now overcome the COVID-19 effect and have regained ground among beginners. This shows that German universities continue to be very attractive both in Germany and abroad."

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HRK: Federal "Digital University" programme still necessary - leveraging the strengths of cooperation and alliances in the field of digital infrastructures

HRK: Federal "Digital University" programme still necessary - leveraging the strengths of cooperation and alliances in the field of digital infrastructures

In view of the continuing strong momentum in the digitalisation of teaching and learning at universities, the General Assembly of the HRK reaffirmed its demands for systematic and strategic support from the federal and state governments. "For the comprehensive, sustainable digitalisation of universities and the further development of digital teaching and teaching infrastructures, we need a stronger overall commitment from the federal states and substantial support from the federal government, despite some good steps. On the part of the universities, we also want to increase the potential of cooperation and alliances in this area," commented HRK President Professor Dr Walter Rosenthal.

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