German - South African Rectors’ Forum

Workshop II - 15 April 2013“Research – Networking and Cooperation”

THE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY LEIPZIG

DIVERSITY AND DYNAMICSFocused Excellence-Top-Level Research Areas-Research Academy Leipzig-Leipzig Research Forum-Excellence Initiative

Hypotheses:

1)Universities sacrifice diversity in research for the sake of an institutional profile.

2)It needs a new approach to research networking to improve the diversity of a new generation of scholars.

3)New topics around the phenomenon of globalization require new forms of collaboration.

RESEARCH: NETWORKING AND COOPERATION

Two tendencies: many cooperation linkages versus focus on research profiles initiate steering processes take measures that are mutually beneficial to both tendencies use different level of networks for efficient cooperation

internal – regional – international

Examples: Biodiversity, Area Studies

1) Universities sacrifice diversity in research for the sake of an institutional profile.

international

EXAMPLE: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)

Halle-Jena-Leipzig- declared research profile of Leipzig University- funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

Research Network

regional

internal

international

EXAMPLE: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)

Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Research Network

regional

Biology/ Informatics / Chemistry …

- declared research profile of Leipzig University- funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

international

EXAMPLE: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)

Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Research Network

3 Universities + 8 research institutes

Biology/ Informatics/ Chemistry …

- declared research profile of Leipzig University- funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

EXAMPLE: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)

Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Research Network

3 Universities + 8 research institutes

- declared research profile of Leipzig University- funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

Biology/ Informatics/ Chemistry …

… Centre for Invasion Biology, South Africa

Problem:Research groups in the future need to reflect the whole spectrum of groups within a society in terms of gender, age, ethnic background etc. in order to sustain quality in research Solution:connect research indispensably with capacity building in terms of educating the new generation of academics and scientists

Example capacity building young scholars:- Higher Education Cooperation Program “Welcome to Africa”-Erasmus Mundus Partnership Europe & South Africa Partnership for Human Development / EUROSA-Joint Training Research Academy Leipzig and African Doctoral Academy, Stellenbosch

2) It needs a new approach to research networking to improve the diversity of a new generation of scholars

3) New topics around the phenomenon of globalization require new forms of collaboration.

Problem:Universities have to position themselves within the context of a globalised society/economy…Perseverance versus Universitas semper reformanda

Solution:Balance between conservative and innovative forces

Examples:Joint Research “New Regionalism”Joint Doctoral Degree Program in Arts and Social Sciences European Master Erasmus Mundus „Global Studies“Joint Master “MA German Studies/ German as a foreign language in an African-German Context

1) How to balance diversity and profile development?

2) How to balance diversity and excellence of young scholars?

3) How to balance institutional stability with challenges of globalization?

THREE HYPOTHESES REVISITED: