HRK President supports March for Science

13. April 2018

The President of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), Prof Dr Horst Hippler, has expressed his support for the March for Science again this year. “As a researcher and as a representative of the universities, I will be participating with great conviction. I would like to express my respect and gratitude to the organisers of this true grass-roots movement for their commitment,” Hippler said.

He went on to say,

“The freedom of science, research and teaching must be actively championed and fought for again and again. In many regions of the world, it is perpetually curtailed or endangered. However, the fact that it is also being attacked in a number of democratically constituted states, that anti-science tendencies seem to be on the rise even in Germany, especially concerns us. It is a sharp reminder that we cannot take academic freedom from political or other extraneous influences for granted.

Every citizen should feel it incumbent on them to stand up for academic freedom. It is no coincidence that the crisis of democracy we are currently seeing in a number of countries is always accompanied by attacks on academic freedom and the freedom of research and teaching. Democracies need free universities.

For our part, we academics must ask ourselves critically: Are we doing enough for our credibility? Are we engaging in sufficient public outreach, are we making ourselves sufficiently understood? Are we communicating the value of constant questioning of our own research results?”
 
The March for Science will take place worldwide on Saturday, 14 April and is intended as a demonstration of support for academic freedom. Horst Hipper will address the event in Göttingen.