In a statement issued today by the Senate of the HRK on so-called predatory publishers, the universities have affirmed their strong commitment to ensuring academic quality assurance. While the number of publications in such journals may be low in Germany, as in Europe as a whole and the USA, the HRK Senate fears that the phenomenon may pose a threat to the credibility of science and scholarship.More
HRK President Prof Dr Peter-André Alt vehemently turned against the politically motivated rejection of Israeli scientist Yael Amitai during the appointment of replacements for the Scientific Advisory Committee of the German-Israeli Foundation (GIF): "On this occasion, the independence of science is being attacked. We cannot tolerate this." In saying this, Alt is showing support for the protests of the Association of University Heads, Israel (VERA) and numerous scientists. "Germany and Israel need to lay down clear rules for this important bilateral project," says Alt.
“The excessive demands put forward by Elsevier have left us with no choice but to suspend negotiations between the publisher and the DEAL project set up by the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany.” That was the verdict of the lead negotiator and spokesperson for the DEAL Project Steering Committee, Prof Dr Horst Hippler, the President of the HRK, speaking in Bonn, where the last discussion took place this week. “As far as we’re concerned, the aim of the ongoing negotiations with the three biggest academic publishers is to develop a future-oriented model for the publishing and reading of scientific literature."More
“If the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling is accommodated, but at the same time the autonomy of higher education is curtailed, this would do a great disservice to higher education.” This was the concern expressed by HRK President Horst Hippler ahead of the meeting of the University Committee of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK).More
“Distributed excellence” should become the fundamental principle of European research and higher education policy. Institutions with strong research capabilities should not be concentrated at just a few locations in Europe, but should be supported throughout the EU. This is the main demand of the rectors’ conferences in France, Germany and Poland (CPU, HRK and CRASP) in a recently published policy paper.More
“We need a European understanding of education that encompasses personal development and the ability to engage with society. Unfortunately, this understanding is not shared as clearly everywhere in Europe.” This was the comment made by HRK-President in the lead-up to the Bologna Conference in Paris. He accordingly called on the Ministers to explicitly consider this aspect in their final communiqué, which is to be adopted. “Europe is a great deal more than an economic community. University graduates, in particular, play an important role in shaping its future social and cultural identity." More
