The statement was adopted at the Senate meeting on July 9, 2025.
The Senate of Goethe University Frankfurt has received the latest reports on the Hessian Higher Education Pact 2026-2031 with the utmost concern. What is described here as “budget consolidation” in fact amounts to a gradual depletion of both future and present: the dismantling of democratic foundations, an attack on innovative capacity, and a retreat from securing our state’s future viability.
Goethe University both recognizes and lives up to its responsibility. In times of tight budgets, it goes without saying that universities show solidarity. Other sectors such as schools, arts and culture, as well as public safety and order also face major challenges. However, the distribution of scarce resources must be handled responsibly and with foresight – and it must not come at the expense of education, research, and social cohesion. If the currently planned cuts become reality, the state of Hesse will suffer massive damage as a hub for science. Cuts lead to the departure of top researchers, a stagnation in research and teaching innovation, and a structural devaluation of Hesse as a center of science and economy – with far-reaching consequences for the economy, civil society, and democratic culture.
Science is not a luxury. This is not about preserving privileges. It is about nothing less than the foundation of a viable, free, and just society. At a time when disinformation, skepticism toward science, and societal polarization are on the rise, universities become indispensable spaces for enlightenment, dialogue, and a resilient democratic culture. Universities do not merely train skilled professionals – they cultivate democratic citizens. They do not pursue excellence for its own sake – they provide answers to the great challenges of our time.
We therefore call on the state government to:
- Safeguard the democratic, innovative, and competitive capacity of the state of Hesse by preserving its universities’ ability to act – sustainably, reliably, and in a future-oriented manner.
- Not just demand excellence – enable it: those who position themselves as drivers of research and innovation at the federal level must also create the necessary financial foundations at the state level.
- Shorten the term of the Higher Education Pact to allow for flexible and realistic adjustments to developments – or provide reliable assurances that universities will benefit significantly in the event of an economic upturn.
- Strengthen the social foundations of the higher education system by ensuring good study conditions for students and reliable career prospects for early career researchers – through investments in support services, infrastructure, participation, as well as plannable career paths and fair employment conditions.
- Secure the functionality of universities by improving the working conditions and development opportunities of technical and administrative staff – after all, without qualified and committed administrative personnel, IT experts, and technical professionals, the entire university operation is at risk.
Goethe University’s Senate is ready to contribute constructively to the dialogue – in the interest of strong science in Hesse, responsible budgetary policy, and a viable and future-ready society.
The Senate therefore looks forward with anticipation to the upcoming discussion with the Hessian Minister of Science and Research, Arts and Culture, Timon Gremmels, and the Hessian Minister of Finance, Prof. Dr. R. Alexander Lorz, on July 15, 2025. It also welcomes the opportunity to discuss, among others, the following questions with both ministers:
- How does the Higher Education Pact ensure that universities remain nationally and internationally competitive? How does the Ministry enable cutting-edge research, inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation, and the ability to respond to demographic, technological, and societal change?
- How much of the €250 million that Hesse receives annually from the federal special fund is to be made available to universities?
- What concrete measures are you planning to offset collective bargaining increases and inflation-related additional costs in the higher education sector? And if such compensation is not intended: how will you give universities the financial certainty to approach structural transformations strategically and responsively – instead of being forced into them by leaving vacancies unfilled?
- Will the dramatic reduction of the base budget be reflected in the performance indicator “students”? And will fulfillment of the performance indicators continue to be rewarded?
- How will you strengthen university autonomy, what are your plans for reducing bureaucracy, and will the promised construction autonomy be accompanied by streamlined processes? How will you enable universities to carry out the urgently needed modernization of their physical, technical, and digital infrastructures?
- What is the state government’s position on the societal role of universities as spaces of democratic understanding and political empowerment? How do you reconcile initiating democracy promotion projects on the one hand, while on the other massively cutting the budgets of Hessian universities – thus playing into the hands of populists who reject evidence and science?
