More money than ever before, more reliable than ever before and more precise objectives for better education and research than ever before: this is the outcome of the negotiations on the financing of universities in Hesse for the period 2021 to 2025. "We are providing universities with a record sum of more than 11.2 billion euros for their activities over the term of the new pact - this is an important investment in the quality of research and education", declared state premier Volker Bouffier, Minister for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, Angela Dorn and Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Schäfer, who, together with the presidents of the 14 state universities, signed the new Higher Education Pact for Hesse in Wiesbaden on March 11, 2020.
"Hesse's competitive strength depends largely on the innovative capabilities of our universities They are the engines of innovation", stated state premier Volker Bouffier. "In order to keep those engines running, we are adding another substantial amount to the record figure of around 9.2 billion euros stipulated in the current higher education pact: With the new Higher Education Pact, we are making 11.2 billion euros available for the state's universities - more than ever before. Together with the reorientation and gradual stepping-up of funding the LOEWE excellence in research program to 100 million euros in 2025, we are boosting the enormous potential of Hesse as a center for science and research. Every cent invested here is important for the future of our state because today's research findings provide solutions to the challenges of the future."
"We want enhance teaching at our universities, raise their profiles and offer more equal opportunities - the new Higher Education Pact provides them with the best possible conditions for doing so, and we have agreed clear goals to achieve it", said Minister for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, Angela Dorn. "We have made a system change. For the first time ever, we have merged several budgets and created a reliable basis for financing universities, which is growing by four percent every year, well above the increases in pay scales and costs. At the same time, in the 'Higher Education Policy Objectives' we have agreed allow for fixed, compulsory objectives for enhanced teaching, more equal opportunities, a better support ratio, good employment relationships and more sustainability. We have also managed to bring about a system change for individual target agreements with universities - away from declarations of intent to measurable indicators. In this way, our universities will remain fit for the future, because education and research can only fulfil their key role for our democracy if as many people as possible are able to participate successfully.“
"Only a few other federal states have undertaken such a major effort and it is exemplary. Last year, Hesse had the second highest share of university expenditure in the overall federal budget. Our aim is to remain at the forefront of top-level research and education in the years ahead. The Higher Education Pact is an expression of this. The four-percent increase in funding applies not only to the original Higher Education Pact resources provided by the state, we will also take them into account when co-financing federal funds from the 'Promoting education and training as a contract for the future' federal/state agreement". Unfortunately, the federal government itself has not succeeded in implementing the increase in funding that universities have demanded. Hesse is doing so voluntarily", stated Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Schäfer. Over the term of the new Higher Education Pact, we will be investing a further 1.8 billion euros in supporting our bright young people: money that will be channeled into the LOEWE research funding scheme, the HEUREKA university building project and the Digital Pact for Higher Education. This is a very clear statement in favor of education and research, particularly in view of the increasingly narrow room for maneuver in the state budget".
"The new Higher Education Pact is the result of a very cooperative interaction between the universities themselves and between universities and the state government", stated Professor Birgitta Wolff, Spokesperson for the Konferenz Hessischer Universitätspräsidien (KHU). "The Pact will give universities the greater planning security they need and also provide increased funding that at the very least will offset the anticipated growth in tariffs and prices. The general commitment to creating a large number of new professorships is a major success. This will create opportunities for better supervision and support for students - an area where Hesse has been lagging behind the federal state average - ease the burden on lecturers and - most importantly - offer new prospects for young academics and researchers. Science in Hesse will benefit from the new Higher Education Pact."
"After lengthy negotiations, we are very satisfied with the result," said Professor Frank E. P. Dievernich for the Universities of Applied Sciences (HAWs) in Hesse. "We have achieved a very good compromise. For the first time ever, universities of applied sciences will receive regular budgetary funding for mid-level research - this is the greatest achievement. These funds play a huge role in the development of an efficient research infrastructure at our universities. Together with 150 additional professors, new academic staff positions will also greatly improve the student-lecturer ratio in education."
"The new Higher Education Pact is beneficial for us art schools because it encompasses the entire scope of the higher education landscape in Hesse, from science to the arts", explained Professor Elmar Fulda, President of the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. "It enables art schools to offset structural disadvantages, and ensures a steady supply of funds to our budgets. It helps us, in the field of music especially, to offer more permanent employment to lecturers, thereby also improving student support. And it is now also opening up access to federal and state funding for art schools as part of the 'Promoting education and training as a contract for the future' federal/state agreement. The new Higher Education Pact is a good basis for setting out on this path! We are looking forward to it!"
Source: press release by Hesse's Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, March 11, 2020
