Katharina Riedel is to become the new spokesperson for the Universities Member Group of the HRK. The microbiologist and Rector of the University of Greifswald was elected to succeedAnja Steinbeck in this role. In accordance with the HRK rules of procedure, Riedel will therefore also become a Vice-President of the HRK. The term of office for Riedel and the other members of the spokespersons’ board begins on 1 December 2026.

The HRK has criticised surprising comments made to the media by the Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär, which suggest that the fundamental reform of the German Federal Training Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz; BAföG) announced in the coalition agreement may be scrapped. Recent statements from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag point in the same direction. Even the increase in the BAföG housing allowance, recently agreed upon by the governing parties and due to come into effect from the 2026/2027 winter semester, is therefore now in doubt.

HRK President Walter Rosenthal has issued the following initial response to the draft bill on the amendment of the Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz; WissZeitVG), which was made public on Thursday evening: “German universities expressly welcome the fact that the long-awaited draft bill on the WissZeitVG is now available. This represents a significant step forward for the amendment process initiated during the previous parliamentary term and which will hopefully be successfully concluded soon.”

In a joint statement, the HRK and its partner organisations from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain call on their respective governments and the European Commission to significantly expand European cooperation in research and higher education. And they ask to allocate sufficient funding for this purpose in the next EU financial framework from 2028 onwards. According to the statement, the economic and geopolitical situation requires even stronger investment in research and education at European level than previously planned.

The President of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), Professor Dr Walter Rosenthal, and the HRK Vice-President for International Affairs, Equal Opportunities and Diversity, Professor Dr Angela Ittel, commented today on recent reports regarding the search of the rector’s offices at the University of Belgrade (Serbia) on 31 March 2026 as follows: “According to consistent media and eyewitness reports, the Belgrade Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office yesterday ordered a search of the University of Belgrade’s rectorate as part of a large-scale operation by the anti-corruption authority and the criminal investigation department. This was accompanied by intensive reporting by pro-government media. The search, during which documents and computers were seized, is reportedly linked to the tragic death of a student last Friday. The circumstances surrounding this death must, of course, be clarified. However, we find the massive and, in its effect, intimidating action taken by the investigating authorities disturbing and it casts doubt on the principle of proportionality.”

Responding to public debate about the decision by the Rectorate of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf to permit a student-organised event on campus with artist Basma al-Sharif on her film works, HRK President Walter Rosenthal said: “The Executive Board of the HRK expects politicians and society to show the necessary respect and support for those people at universities who are committed to upholding academic and artistic freedom even under difficult circumstances.”