topic Science

Higher Education

The Federal Government supports institutions of higher education in preparing for the new requirements resulting from the internationalization of higher education and the growing competition.

Institutions of higher education are places of high-quality training and research and are key initiators of innovation in our country, which make a decisive contribution towards securing progress and prosperity. Germany has 394 institutions of higher education: of which 104 are universities, 6 colleges of education, 14 colleges of theology, 51 colleges of art, 189 universities of applied sciences and 30 colleges of public administration. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, there were over 1.996 million students in the 2008/2009 Winter Semester, approximately 48% of whom were women. Approximately two thirds of all students are registered at universities; just under 29 % attend a university of applied sciences. The number of first-year students reached a record high in the 2008/2009 academic year with over 386,500 new students. Since the introduction of the "Higher Education Pact 2020" in 2007, the share of first-year students in Germany as a percentage of a year group has risen by more than 2% to 39.1%

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  topic Science

  Excellence Initiative for Cutting-Edge Research at Institutions of Higher Education

  As of 1 September 2011, 143 proposals had been submitted to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Approximately 680 scientists will be evaluating presentations by institutions of higher education in panel sessions and on-site inspections. Around 80 per cent of the review panel members are from abroad, which ensures an international and independent perspective of the German academic landscape. With the final funding decision to be made on 15 June 2012, participants will have to wait a little yet.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/1321.php)
   
  
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  topic Science

  The Bologna Process

  Within the context of the Europe-wide Bologna Process, Germany's Federal Government, Länder, and institutions of higher education are conducting the largest higher education reform in decades. Since its 1999 inception in the Italian university city of Bologna, this reform process has aimed to establish internationally accepted degrees, improve the quality of courses of study, and enhance employability. The number of students in Germany has also increased as a result of the reforms. Furthermore, we have clearly enhanced the international mobility of German students and the attractiveness of German institutions of higher education for students and young researchers from abroad.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/3336.php)
   
  
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  topic Education

  Bilateral exchange programmes in vocational training

  The internationalization of industry and the working world is increasingly calling for qualified personnel with foreign language skills, intercultural competence and knowledge of other economic regions and different business practices. It is never too early to start acquiring these competences, which is why the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has supported bilateral exchange programmes for vocational trainees with the Netherlands, Norway and Great Britain since the mid-1990s. The Franco-German exchange programme in vocational training has been organized for 30 years.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/894.php)
   
  
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  topic Education

  Scientists, come home!

  The GAIN meeting of young German scientists in San Francisco provides information on career prospects in Germany / BMBF State Secretary Quennet-Thielen: "We support returnees who want to fill attractive positions."
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/908.php)
   
  
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  topic Research

  The Reform of Higher Education Admission

  Institutions of higher education in Germany are in future to participate more actively in the selection of their students. The new regulation of admission to higher education institutions provides them with a responsibility they had demanded for a long time. The reform of admission to higher education, which was passed in July, regulates in a new way the allocation of study places in study courses with national restriction.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/2570.php)
   
  
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  topic Science

  The New BAföG

  We want all young people to be able to pursue qualifications that suit their talents and interests, regardless of their background. To achieve this, we have made further improvements to the Federal Training Assistance Act, or BAföG for short. The changes will increase the number of people eligible for support and raise the rates of funding. About 916,000 students at secondary schools and universities received BAföG support in 2010, a number that will continue to rise.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/892.php)
   
  
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  topic Science

  Junior Professorship

  The introduction of the junior professorship established a new career path which provides young scientists with a new avenue towards a professorship. The aim is to provide young scientists with an opportunity for independent research and teaching whilst they are still in their early 30s
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/820.php)
   
  
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  topic Science

  Research at Universities of Applied Sciences

  The BMBF is providing funding for applied research in the engineering, natural and economic sciences at universities of applied sciences under its "Research at Universities of Applied Sciences" programme. Since the beginning of 2009, the pilot call entitled "Social Innovation for Quality of Life in Old Age (SILQUA-FH)" has also been providing funding for research projects at universities of applied sciences which offer study programmes in Social Work and the Care and Health Sciences aimed at improving the quality of life and protecting the independence and dignity of elderly people, particularly people suffering from old age ailments.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/864.php)
   
  
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  topic Science

  Continuing education at institutions of higher education

  Continuing education provides institutions of higher education with an opportunity to develop programmes which are interesting and useful for both industry and science. Because even for academics, qualification no longer ends when the doctor's cap has been earned. And the knowledge of higher education teachers is also in demand among specialists in companies.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/349.php)