In view of the escalating situation in Iran and the obvious repression of students and academics by the state at numerous Iranian universities, the Senate of the HRK expressed its shock and concern at its meeting on Wednesday. In the wake of the nationwide protests following the violent death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in police custody, there were apparently strikes and protests at more than one hundred universities. According to consistent media reports, the state is acting with increasing severity against the protesters, many of whom are university members.

On 1 September 2022, the HRK will launch the "Diversity at German Universities" initiative funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The aim of the initiative is to support universities in the further development of holistic diversity concepts. The initiative "Diversity at German Universities" aims to further promote diversity at universities in a holistic sense through concrete projects and campaigns at individual funded institutions as well as through cross-project dialogue and exchange at national level.

The Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany now has its own website. The recently launched website www.allianz-der-Wissenschafts­organisationen.de clusters all the information on the Alliance and its members. In particular, this will provide a central platform for publication of the Alliance’s statements on science policy and details of its activities. The website is also available in English.

The HRK and the German National Association for Student Affairs (DSW) are appealing to the federal government and the federal states to ensure that university operations and social services offered by student services organisations can be maintained during the coming winter term 2022/2023, even in the event of an energy or gas shortage. Germany's approximately 2.9 million students must also be taken into account in possible state aid against inflation and the energy price crisis.

Anja Steinbeck, Rector of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, will remain spokesperson for the Universities Member Group of the HRK and in this capacity also Vice-President of the HRK. In the elections for the Member Group's spokespersons last Wednesday in Berlin, the legal scholar was elected for a second term of office without any dissenting votes. Volker Epping, President of Leibniz University Hannover, was also confirmed in office as deputy spokesperson of the group.

Peter-André Alt will relinquish his office as President of the HRK on 31 March 2023 and thus before the regular end of his second term of office. From 1 April 2023, Alt will be responsible for the establishment of a new research foundation in Berlin as its director. With an annual funding volume of up to €25 million and a programme strongly oriented towards top-level research, career paths and internationality, this foundation is to be developed into one of the key players in the field of research funding in Germany in the coming years.