Universities in Baden-Württemberg take over an increasing number of tasks in research, education, and innovation, but this is not reflected by the planned state budget. Universities in Baden-Württemberg demand a major increase in the funds of the next university funding agreement (2021 – 2025) by EUR 100 million annually in order to maintain the quality of research and innovative capacity of Baden-Württemberg. On the state-wide action day on October 30, 2019, at many locations, including the Schlossplatz in Karlsruhe, students will stand up for solid funding of their universities and, hence, good studies conditions.
We strongly support the demands of the state universities and students,” says the President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka. “Every euro we invest into academic education and young researchers today is important to strengthen and enhance innovative capacity of Baden-Württemberg as a location of science and industry in national and international comparison. Saving this money would seriously jeopardize the high performance of universities and the opportunities for our students.”
“Research-oriented teaching is of high importance to KIT. Presently, however, we are working at the limit,” adds Professor Alexander Wanner, KIT Vice-President for Higher Education and Academic Affairs. “Without solid basic funding adjusted to our portfolio, we will not be able to maintain our current research and teaching programs.” Students representatives of KIT also see an urgent need for action: “Current university funding does not keep up with the number of students that has been growing since 2013,” says An Tang, KIT’s AStA Officer for External Affairs. “Increasing expenses for digitalization and university construction will burden universities and the students will experience this loss of quality.”
For more information in German, click:
Press Releases of the State Rectors’ Conference
www.lrk-bw.de/index.php/pressemitteilungen
Website on the campaign “no science, no future”
Brochure “no science, no future”
nosciencenofuture.de/noSciencenoFuture-Broschuere.pdf
Comment of the State Conference of the General Students Committees on the Negotiations of the University Funding Agreement after 2020
lastuve-bawue.de/lak/beschluesse
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.