Foreign academic policy in times of growing instability 

Two people talking beneath a glass roof top

Many countries are currently facing crises and upheaval. To make matters worse, national self-interest is increasingly taking precedence over multilateral cooperation. Science must now stand up for international cooperation as a constitutive element of teaching and research. At the same time, German higher education institutions and research organisations bear an important responsibility for strengthening civil societies in countries where information and freedoms are significantly restricted. Foreign academic policy can provide access where other channels of communication fail. Especially in politically tumultuous times, academic cooperation can create sustainable relations and fortify critical opinion. In the future, the DAAD shall continue to defend the value of international science, provide proof of its use, and facilitate exchange even under conditions of crisis and conflict. The DAAD also recognises that one of the central strengths of our societal model and academic system is that it teaches young people to endure the friction of diverging opinions and engage in negotiation processes to reconcile them. 

DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst - German Academic Exchange Service