Dr. Axel Oberschelp

Germany is one of the most important host countries for internationally mobile students and academics. In comparison to students and academic personnel, however, international professors are underrepresented. The research project “International Academics at German Universities: From Postdoc to Professorship” explores the hurdles faced by international academics in making the transition from postdoc to professorship at German universities.

In Germany, only a few international academics have succeeded in gaining access to a university professorship. This is evident on an international scale, but also in comparison with other academic staff at universities. The InWiDeHo research project investigated whether and, if so, which obstacles exist for international academics in the transition from postdoc to professorship. The report presents the core findings and recommendations for action of the qualitative study, for which international postdocs and newly appointed professors as well as members of university management were interviewed as part of expert interviews. Group discussions were also held with university staff.

Collaborative research is becoming increasingly important. By linking competences and experiences, sharing cost-intensive resources and bringing together different disciplinary perspectives, synergy effects are generated and innovative research projects are promoted. However, the collaboration of researchers also involves risks that can be traced back to the framework conditions that characterise the collaboration of the participants. The DEKiF project ("Determinants and Effects of Cooperations in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Research Associations") examines the implementation of collaborative research within the framework of different sub-studies with the aim of mapping cooperation problems.

The subject of this study is the analysis of the websites of 20 U.S. universities that contain information and support services to enable accessible, digital teaching. The goal of the analysis is first of all a detailed description of the content of these information portals, which focuses in particular on the aspects of organizational anchoring, addressee orientation, and content design, as well as on identifying good practice. The findings are then discussed with a view to their possible transferability to the German higher education system. If a transfer to the German higher education system makes sense and is possible, corresponding recommendations will be formulated.

The article examines the development of university governance in Germany after 1945, distinguishing between the ordinariate and the group university as well as the university under the paradigm of the new governance model as stages of development. As a supplement to the classical periodization for West Germany, important aspects of the development of higher education in the GDR are addressed. The study is guided by the governance approach with its distinction of five central governance mechanisms based on the so-called "governance equalizer" (Schimank). The article concludes with an outlook on currently discussed perspectives of higher education development in Germany.