In his emphatic keynote address, Prof. Dr. Martin Stratmann, president of the Max Planck Society, explored the common thread linking the successful partnerships with Bonn’s University of Excellence, the importance of basic research for Germany as a research hub and the challenges facing German academia in securing its future capacity for innovation. “I’m thinking here about the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, for instance, which emerged from the University’s Institute for Astronomy, or the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics. Both really are perfect examples of cooperation.” Four Nobel Prizes in the last two years and the Fields Medal for Bonn mathematician Peter Scholze were proof of just how prominent German academia is internationally, he said.
Basic research on firm foundations
Stratmann put this down primarily to the very well-positioned basic research for which the universities and institutions like the Max Planck Society had laid the necessary foundations. “We’re beginning the Anthropocene epoch with a whole new set of challenges and potential solutions, so there’s still a lot of basic research that needs to be done, including in the humanities.” Policymakers and the general public will be expecting a lot of academia in this regard, he continued, stressing the need to keep on communicating and explaining one’s own assumptions.
In the subsequent panel discussion entitled “Excellence in Research,” where Stratmann was joined by University Rector Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch, he suggested that the innovative capacity of German academia had to be strengthened above all else. “Don’t we need something like an innovation agency that promotes innovation with a high degree of professionalism and free from policy constraints, like the German Research Foundation does for basic research?”
Armed with paper, pen and a blackboard
Also on the panel were Prof. Peter Scholze, a mathematician at the University of Bonn and recipient of the Fields Medal, and Prof. Dr. Catharina Stroppel from the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics. They reported on the research being done in mathematics, with Stroppel pointing out how unique it was for the cluster to cover the whole field. “We’re now trying to compete with top US universities,” she said, adding that the appointment of female researchers was also playing a key part in these efforts. Peter Scholze highlighted the new possibilities that digitalization offers for testing mathematical proofs, even though he himself still mainly works with paper, pen and a blackboard.
The second panel looked at climate change and disaster management. During the discussion, Prof. Dr. Xiaomeng Shen, the United Nations University’s vice-rector in Europe, reported on the research being done into climate change and explained: “Every country and every individual counts in a climate crisis such as this.” As well as technologies, she said, we also need a new way of thinking. Gerd Friedmann, president of the Technisches Hilfswerk civil protection organization, spoke about the destruction caused by the flooding along the River Ahr and emphasized that Germany was in a strong position even if the number of call-outs increases in the future.
Responsibility for sustainability
On the subject of sustainability, Prof. Dr. Annette Scheersoi, vice rector for sustainability, explained that the University’s status as a University of Excellence gave it particular responsibility for driving forward sustainable thinking. In her view, it is about using resources responsibly and making society future-proof. “We want to fulfill our responsibilities by embedding sustainability really systematically in all areas of the University.” This was not only true for research and teaching, she said, but also for general operations.
The students’ view was presented by Jonathan Andraczek, president of the General Students’ Committee (AStA) of the University of Bonn, who summed up the current situation thus: “With more and more events being held in person once again, students are finally getting the opportunity to return to normal university life.” He added that the legal situation during the pandemic, which had been constantly changing and sometimes unclear, had also made studying much more difficult and that the pandemic had highlighted social inequalities. In his opinion, therefore, the BAföG needs to be reformed and digital infrastructure has to remain a priority.
Keeping a close eye on the Excellence Strategy
Looking ahead to the future, Rector Michael Hoch thanked the students, teachers, deans and faculties for all the incredible things that they had achieved during the pandemic. It was now a question of keeping a close eye on the Excellence Strategy too, he said. “Our goal of retaining all six Clusters of Excellence is, of course, highly ambitious.” The Clusters and TRAs had all been making very good progress and there was an incredible sense of dynamism, he added. “By recruiting the best thinkers at all stages of their careers, including students, we want to help talented individuals to develop and make our own contribution toward the changes under way in the world in our role as a University of Excellence,” Hoch said.
