Professor Michael Hoch is taking over as Chair from Professor Georg Krausch, President of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, who has vacated the post following his recent election as Vice-President of the German Rectors’ Conference with a focus on “Research, Academic Career Paths.” The general meeting of the U15 expressed their sincere thanks to Professor Georg Krausch, who played a key role in driving forward the alliance’s successful development as its Deputy Chair since 2014 and Chair since 2020.
Commenting on the resolutions passed by the general meeting, Professor Michael Hoch said: “Germany and its academic system are facing multiple highly challenging crises. Now more than ever, there is a need for research-intensive universities of international renown to inject momentum and contribute ideas. By expanding the board, we in the U15 are putting the structure in place to shoulder this responsibility even more broadly. I’m very much looking forward to working toward this goal with these three outstanding colleagues of mine.
The U15 universities: places of top-level research
“The U15 universities are home to some top-level research and pioneering innovations. As such, they are doing more than most to ensure a future that is shaped by self-determination and is worth living in: by conducting groundbreaking research, fostering exceptional talent and investing in knowledge transfer. This requires politicians to give us the right underlying conditions, and we will continue to campaign for these. Expanding our partnership with leading universities all over the world, from Canada to South Korea, will also play a key role. We can only solve the global challenges by working together.
“Georg Krausch has led our alliance with strategic foresight and unstinting commitment since 2014. The U15 is now in a fantastic position, something for which all its members owe him their most heartfelt thanks. We hope he enjoys just as much success in his new role as Vice-President of the German Rectors’ Conference.”
About the German U15
The German U15 represents the strategic interests of 15 research-intensive, full-fledged classic universities of the arts and sciences in Germany with an international reputation. Nearly a third of all German and international students in Germany attend one of the U15 universities, which also supervise half of all the doctorates completed in Germany. The U15 universities attract 40 percent of public third-party funding across the board and as much as 60 percent in the medical sector. Strengthening its links with the most research-intensive universities in the world is a particular priority for the alliance.
More information: https://www.german-u15.de/en