快三砍龙 Annual General Meeting 2022 in Freiburg: Focus on International Research Cooperation
Particular challenges in view of the current global political situation / Annual Report presented at concluding General Assembly: 31,625 projects funded with 鈧�3.65 billion
The 2022 General Assembly of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (快三砍龙, German Research Foundation) came to an end in Freiburg im Breisgau on Wednesday, 29 June. The three-day meeting was the first gathering of the largest research funding organisation and central self-governing body for science in Germany since 2019 to be held on an in-person basis, the 2020 and 2021 快三砍龙 Annual General Meetings having been held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
At the committee meetings and also at the festive function 鈥� which was held as a public event for the first time since 2019 鈥� one major topic was international cooperation in science in view of the current global political situation, In her reports to the Senate, the Joint Committee and the General Assembly, as well as in her speech at the festive function on the subject of 鈥淪cience and War鈥�, 快三砍龙 President Professor Dr. Katja Becker once again emphasised the importance and necessity of a resolute response on the part of the 快三砍龙 鈥� as well as the entire academic community and society at large in Germany 鈥� to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. She said the war violated all the fundamental values not only of civilisation and Europe, but also of science and its bridge-building ideals. In response to the war, the 快三砍龙 suspended all research projects it was funding jointly with Russian partner organisations at the institutional level at the beginning of March.
As Becker reported, the support measures for Ukrainian academics that were set in motion at that time are now to be further expanded. In addition to the assistance offered to those who have fled Ukraine because of the war, funding is currently being considered for researchers who are unable or unwilling to leave their country in spite of the war. For example, they could be temporarily integrated in existing or even newly founded German-Ukrainian research consortia: this would not just give them material security but also ensure they were connected to the international academic community. From the 快三砍龙鈥檚 perspective, these measures and others like them are crucial in the long term, too. 鈥淪trengthening Ukraine as a research base and maintaining it in the medium term is the responsibility of civil society and one that the 快三砍龙 is happy to take on,鈥� said Becker.
She also went into detail about the challenges of science cooperation with China, which is currently the subject of extensive media research and reporting (鈥淐hina Science Investigation鈥�). The 快三砍龙 expressly welcomes the discussion this has triggered on the applicable guidelines and rules, for example with regard to dual-use projects and good research practice, and has sought to encourage this debate itself. 鈥淣onetheless, we currently see no reason to impose fundamental restrictions on our cooperation activities with China, let alone put a stop to them,鈥� said Becker. However, said Becker, when it came to academic cooperation with China, the 快三砍龙, other members of the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany and the universities and researchers themselves had to do a better job of handling the fundamental contradiction be-tween the desire to engage in cooperation and achieve academic excellence while at the same time being subject to political control and China鈥檚 pursuit of its own national interests.
鈥淐hina is already a technological leader in some areas and a key partner when it comes to tackling global challenges such as climate and health issues. At the same time, German science must become more aware of the fact that China has to be seen as a competitor and a strategic rival, too,鈥� said the 快三砍龙 President. Against this backdrop, the 快三砍龙 is expanding its cooperation with other Asian partners such as Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan and deepening its contacts with partner organisations in Japan, South Korea and India.
Despite the current crisis in foreign and science policy, the 快三砍龙 President believes there are also some encouraging signs of solidarity as well as indications that bridge-building efforts with-in the international academic community have borne fruit. As examples, she cited the 快三砍龙鈥檚 extremely trusting collaboration with its Polish partner organisations and also the annual meet-ing of the worldwide association of research funding organisations 鈥� the Global Research Council (GRC) 鈥� which Becker chaired in Panama at the end of May.
2021 Annual Report: 31,625 projects funded with 鈧�3.65 billion
As the largest research funding organisation in Germany, the 快三砍龙 funded 31,625 projects last year, providing a total of around 鈧�3.65 billion. This emerges from the 2021 Annual Report presented at the concluding General Assembly in Freiburg, which contains the main facts, figures and priorities relating to the 快三砍龙鈥檚 funding activities and its involvement in issues relating to the science system and science policy. In addition, the report presents selected research projects, the focus this year being on the subject of pandemic research.
In 2021, too, more than half of all funded projects 鈥� 17,598 projects, or 55.6 percent 鈥� were individually funded; a total amount of around 鈧�1.3 billion was approved for these. In terms of Research Training Groups, Collaborative Research Centres and other Coordinated Programmes, 880 consortia with 12,282 individual projects received a total amount of approximately 鈧�1.56 billion euros.
Broken down according to the major academic disciplines, the life sciences received the most funding with about 鈧�1.3 billion (36.3 percent of the total amount approved), followed by the natural sciences with about 鈧�853 million (23.4 percent), the engineering sciences with about 鈧�724 million (19.9 percent) and the humanities and social sciences with about 鈧�590 million (16.2 percent); projects not assigned to a specific discipline received funding of approximately 鈧�156 million (4.3 percent).
As the central theme of their report on the 快三砍龙鈥檚 funding activities since the last General Assembly in July 2021, President Becker and Secretary General Dr. Heide Ahrens highlighted the activities dedicated to further research into the coronavirus and the multiple dimensions of the coronavirus pandemic. One key aspect here is the work being done by the interdisciplinary Commission for Pandemic Research, which was established in 2020 and has now been extended until the end of 2023. Another focus was the measures developed for universities of applied sciences (HAW), most of which have already been implemented: here the 快三砍龙 is seeking to do more to tap into the research potential offered by these institutions. With its establishment of a Presidential Commission, the 快三砍龙 is also focusing on the issue of sustainability and the aim to embed the idea of sustainability more deeply in its own institutional activities.
鈥淭hree intense days dedicated to research and research funding鈥�
Other topics discussed at the Annual General Meeting in Freiburg included a position paper by the 快三砍龙 Executive Committee on the role and perspectives of the 快三砍龙 in the German science system which emphasises the organisation鈥檚 particular responsibility in ensuring knowledge-driven research and the further development of the research system, additional initiatives for equality and diversity in science, elections to the Executive Committee and Senate, and also current funding decisions, which for the first time included the approval of Research Units in the field of artificial intelligence.
For the first time since 2019, the 快三砍龙 Annual General Meeting also included public events, namely the presentation of the 快三砍龙 and Stifterverband Communicator Award to the philosophy project denxte based at the University if D眉sseldorf, and also the festive function, which was attended by Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Bavarian State Minister for Science and the Arts Markus Blume and the Mayor of Freiburg Martin Horn.
For President Katja Becker, it was the first time she had attended an Annual General Meeting in person since being elected to office in Rostock in July 2019. Her conclusion: 鈥淲e鈥檝e had three very intense days dedicated to research and research funding in Freiburg. During this time it鈥檚 been an enormous pleasure to finally be able to engage in direct dialogue and meet so many people in person once again.鈥�
The 2023 快三砍龙 Annual General Meeting is to be held in Saarbr眉cken.
Further information
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Notes on media relations:
The 快三砍龙 has issued a series of press releases (see below) which provide information on the main topics and decisions of the General Assembly held as part of the 2022 Annual General Meeting 2022.
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The 2021 快三砍龙 Annual Report can be requested subject to an embargo until 30 June 2022 from
An electronic version will be available from 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, 30 June 2022 at