Concerns mount over cuts to German academic partnerships

Concerns over planned cuts to programmes that support German university partnerships with the Global South are growing as higher education leaders warn that the move could “diminish” Germany’s role as a leader in science. 

The German Academic Exchange Service (Daad) says the planned phase-out of several cooperation schemes risks cutting into what it describes as a “deeply connected network of partnerships” built over decades between German universities and those in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

“It will hamper our voice within the academic communities in countries in the Global South, and diminish the role Germany is playing as a science leader, as an academic actor worldwide,” Daad spokesperson Michael Flacke told Times Higher Education. 

“As we look at the international system nowadays, it becomes clear that other countries are standing guard to fill in these gaps.”

Under the plans put forward by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), funding for all but one of Daad’s six cooperation programmes will be phased out by 2031. Programmes previously funded through special BMZ initiatives are also set to come to an end. 

Daad provided €25 million (£22 million) from BMZ funds to the six programmes last year, which involved 60 German higher education institutions.

Collaborations focus on topics such as energy supply, water management, health, digitalisation and entrepreneurship and cover degree programmes, research and training workers. 

Flacke said phasing out these projects risks impairing relationships with the institutions and could diminish Germany’s influence in academic communities in the Global South.

He stressed that while universities could continue their partnerships, federal funding support for the structural programmes would end.

“We will scale back programmes but we will lose the ability to be seen as a very good and long-standing partner,” he said, adding that this could affect Germany’s access to scientific development and academic networks abroad.

The group held a general meeting with its member universities and student unions last week. In a resolution, they appealed to members of the German parliament and the federal government to maintain the funding. 

The government has not yet formally responded in detail to Daad’s concerns, according to the organisation.

The move has also recently been criticised by Claudia Roth, a former federal government commissioner for culture and media and member of the German parliament, and Hesse’s former state secretary for science Ayşe Asar.

In a joint piece published in the Der Wiarda blog, they called the planned cuts a “a political miscalculation”.

“What has grown over decades could be lost in just a few years. This strategically important collaboration cannot be financed from the regular university budget, which is already under massive pressure to cut costs,” they write.

“Those who dismantle these programs may save money in the short term, but will pay the price in the long run. The major challenges of our time don't stop at Europe's borders. Climate crisis, water scarcity, energy insecurity, health crises, biodiversity loss, and urbanization have long been part of daily life in many countries of the Global South.”

Germany’s research sector has also criticised the planned cuts. Michael Hoch, the chair of German U15, a network of major research universities, said the move sends “the wrong signal” at a time of geopolitical tensions. 

“These partnerships are far more than academic exchanges: they are a strategic investment in innovation, trusted international relationships and Germany’s long-term capacity to act. They are also a vital source of German and European soft power,” he told THE.  

He also warned that “if Germany scales back its academic engagement, others will fill the gap”, adding that cutting the programmes risks “eroding Germany’s influence in the Global South, weakening valuable research networks and diminishing opportunities for innovation and economic partnership”.

“Sustained investment in international academic cooperation is not a luxury but a strategic necessity,” he said.  

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com