No German university can be found in the top group in international rankings. Even if university rankings are rightly criticised, they do provide an indication of the performance of universities. They confirm that there is considerable potential for improvement in Germany. Whether basic research or application-orientated research, whether teaching or transfer: universities in Germany need the support of politicians in order to become more competitive. After all, excellence in education and research is crucial for innovation and economic prosperity in Germany and Europe.
This text emphasises the significant underfunding of universities in Germany and formulates ten priority areas for action to improve teaching and research. Better funding, structural reforms and an even stronger integration of German universities into the European Higher Education and Research Area are crucial to improving the global competitiveness of Germany as a centre of higher education. Even in times of tight budgets, this must be a priority area for political action.
