“Prospects of a positive future”

Text: Miriam Hoffmeyer

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war in the Middle East and tense relations with autocratic states: geopolitical shifts have certainly posed a challenge for international cooperation in recent years. At the same time, cross-border academic cooperation and the part it plays in addressing major global ­issues such as the climate, energy and food have become increasingly important. The DAAD reflects these contemporary challenges by continually honing its portfolio of established and new funding programmes, creating crisis-resilient networks and expanding its advisory activities, for example at its Competence Centre for International Academic Cooperations (KIWi). “We need international exchange in the area of academic cooperation to proactively shape social changes and global transformation, thereby creating prospects of a positive future,” says DAAD President Professor Joybrato Mukherjee. “Change through exchange – this idea forms the basis for both our vision and our mission.”

The changed environment for international ­cooperation also informs the DAAD’s strategic considerations. “We are committed to viewing and shaping academic cooperation in a realistic way,” explains Dr Sven Werkmeister, Director of the Strategy Department. “This means we focus on the ­necessity and the opportunities for international academic cooperation while at the same time reflecting on and taking into account the respective geopolitical contexts and their challenges.” Besides the geopolitical shifts, the following circumstances in particular play a key role in the DAAD’s future strategic development: global challenges, social transformations, new trends in the higher education and science system, and the European cooperation area.

“We foster dialogue on issues of foreign science diplomacy between scientists and policymakers.”

Dr Sven Werkmeister, Director of the Strategy Department

The eight Global Centres for Climate and En­vironment as well as for Health and Pandemic Prevention (read more) contribute to tackling global challenges such as climate change, the supply of renewable energies, food security or healthcare. With funding from the Federal Foreign Office, they have been strengthening international scientific cooperation in countries of the Global South since 2021. At the centres, inter­national and German researchers work together on pressing questions such as how to prevent pandemics from occurring or how best to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); they also engage in dialogue with representatives of business, politics and civil society. Digital and hybrid formats in teaching, research, cooperation and transfer allow projects to be pursued in a climate-friendly and resource-efficient manner. The new scholarship programme ERA Fellowships – Green ­Hydrogen (read more) intensifies engagement with this sustainable ­resource. Through the programme, early-career researchers expand their expert knowledge of green hydrogen, which will play a crucial part in the energy transition; as such, the experts of the future are being trained for the ­German and European employment ­markets.

In view of geopolitical developments, science diplomacy is also becoming more important, explains Sven Werkmeister, adding that the work done by the DAAD keeps channels for dialogue and understanding open in difficult foreign policy en­vironments. On the other hand, he points out that challenging contexts and regional conflicts with global impacts have a direct effect on and hinder international exchange, thus giving rise to greater demand for the DAAD’s advisory services: “We are seeing a growing need for advice and orientation among universities. We support them by providing our regional and specialist expertise, as well as by using our events and publications to foster dialogue on issues of foreign science diplomacy between scientists and policymakers.” The expansion of the Competence Centre for International ­Academic Cooperations (KIWi), which was set up in 2019, is a response to this growing demand.

The DAAD’s funding portfolio also reflects global developments. Over the decades, holders of individual scholarships from all the DAAD’s programmes have not only benefited from their grants on a personal and professional level – they have also contributed to change and internationalisation in their institutions and societies. With scholarship programmes such as the Hilde Domin Programme it contributes to countering crises, conflicts and restrictions on academic freedom in many countries. The programme supports at-risk students and doctoral candidates from all over the world, helping them begin or continue a degree course in Germany, and is one way in which the DAAD helps implement Germany’s feminist foreign policy. Furthermore, August 2024 saw the DAAD – together with its European partner organ­isations Campus France, Collège de France and the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED) – launch the programme Supporting at-risk researchers with fellowships in Europe (SAFE) to en­able these international researchers to continue their research in the EU. To this end, the European Commission is making around twelve million ­euros available until 2027.

“We shape change, across borders and on the basis of science. With this vision, we look ahead to the future with optimism.”

Professor Joybrato Mukherjee, DAAD President

The DAAD’s strategic considerations are also in alignment with its role as a German and European organisation. Through its activities and programmes, the DAAD makes an important contribution to Germany’s development as a hub for science, innovation and business. The working population in Germany is in noticeable decline, leading to a skilled labour shortage that is becoming increasingly significant. “To a much greater extent than in the past, academic exchange is also aimed at bringing international talents to Germany,” says Sven Werkmeister. The principle of fair migration takes centre stage in this context.

Programmes such as the Campus Initiative for International Talents provide international students intending to remain in Germany with support throughout their education by offering them ­tailored services that help them not only complete their studies successfully but also launch their ­professional careers in Germany.

In addition, the European cooperation area is becoming ever more important for the DAAD. As the National Agency for Erasmus+ Higher Education Cooperation, it makes a key contribution to shaping the European higher education and research area. Together with its European partners, it strengthens Europe as a place of science and ­academic research and contributes to the ­integration and foreign policy of the European ­Union.

The “DAAD Strategy 2030” will be published in January 2025, in its centenary year. Over the coming years, the DAAD’s work will revolve around the areas of focus outlined above: ensuring Germany‘s positive development as a location for science and business; working on sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our planet; boosting science diplomacy in a multipolar world and – last but not least – fostering democracy and social cohesion in Germany, Europe and the world. “Our Strategy 2030 will serve as our compass, keeping us on course during uncertain times and helping us cope with developments that are not yet fully foreseeable,” sums up DAAD President Joybrato Mukherjee. “We shape change, across borders and on the basis of ­science. With this vision, we look ahead to the ­future with optimism.” —

From January 2025, the DAAD is launching a new strategy to implement its objectives in its three strategic fields of action, namely Funding, Networking, and Advising. Find out more about the DAAD’s Strategy 2030 from 23rd January 2025 at daad.de/strategy-2030.