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From the President’s Office: Prof. Dr Jürgen Bode and Dr Udo Scheuer
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We must witness that world politics also leaves its mark on our university. But even with our limited means, we can help to alleviate hardship and open new prospects. Dr Oleksandr Velihorskyi, a visiting researcher from our Ukrainian partner university, was packing his bags to return when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. H-BRS made it possible for him to extend his employment contract with no red tape and supported him in his dealings with the public authorities. A colleague provided him with temporary accommodation in his private flat. We also support students and academics from Ukraine with an emergency fund.
Our cooperation with Russia is affected, too. German institutes of higher education are largely suspending their projects with Russian partners. Even if it hurts both sides, we must make our position clear. At the same time, we want to support critical Russian colleagues and help them bring the truth to light. That is why we continue to maintain our personal contacts. A far-reaching break with the good scientific tradition of worldwide cooperation and academic freedom impacts us – all the more so because cross-border networking and cooperation are key factors in the success of our teaching, research and transfer.
But even in these difficult times, there is “business as usual”. We have expanded our cooperation projects with companies, strengthened our collaboration with municipalities and encouraged international cooperation. An Innovation Mall showcases the university’s competences online. Digital and physical platforms were established with showrooms to facilitate access to science. We have introduced the first “Transfer Professorship” as a new instrument to create scope for exchange processes and cooperation with business and society.
In this spirit, we will continue to collaborate extensively – and in doing so, we are more aware than ever of how valuable, but also how fragile, free exchange is.
