The Senate of the HRK deliberated on escalating developments in European research and educational policy. HRK President Peter-André Alt stated his views on this: “We are currently witnessing contradictory developments. On the one hand, we are pleased to see that the EU Commission is giving the university sector a central role in its initiatives for a European Education Area and the further development of the European Research Area.

The HRK asked doctoral candidates and early career postdocs from the rare disciplines to devise new communication and networking strategies. 19 projects were selected in the early career researcher competition “Rare Disciplines: Visibly innovative!” and will now be given the opportunity to put their ideas into practice.

The Executive Board of the HRK approved guiding questions on university partnerships with the People’s Republic of China. They will complement the general guidelines and standards for international partnerships, which the HRK formulated last April. The new publication sets out necessary and optional courses of action specific to the cooperation with China.

The HRK welcomes the fact that there is still undiminished interest among international students in studying at German universities in spite of the COVID-19 crisis. In the HRK's view, to ensure that international students can actually enter Germany for the winter 2020/21 semester, it is crucial that the necessary visas can be applied for and approved promptly.

The funding earmarked for education and research in the new seven-year EU financial framework and the “Next Generation EU” coronavirus recovery plan have thus far failed to meet expectations and future requirements in the view of the DAAD, DFG and HRK. The three science organisations therefore welcome the EU Parliament’s cross-party call for improvements to ensure more innovation and successful crisis management.

German students in the USA are facing an uncertain future due to the new visa rules in the coronavirus crisis. The US immigration agency ICE had announced last week that foreign students who were participating exclusively in online courses at an American university would have to leave the country – or face deportation. The Presidents of the HRK and DAAD have sounded a warning about the consequences.