The member group Universities of Applied Sciences/Universities of Applied Sciences of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) has re-elected Professor Dr. Jörg Bagdahn, President of Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, as its spokesperson. With the start of the new term of office, Bagdahn will begin his third term of office, which begins on December 1, 2026 and lasts two years.
Professor Bagdahn expressed his thanks for the renewed vote of confidence and emphasized:
"I look forward to continuing my work in this responsible role. In the new term of office, my particular focus will be on strengthening research and transfer at the HAWs in the coming years and successfully launching the German Applied Research Association (DAFG). Our goal is to create sustainable and reliable framework conditions for research and transfer at UASs - a decisive contribution to the innovative strength of our country.
"At the same time, we as scientific institutions are facing profound global challenges. I see safeguarding academic freedom and strengthening our institutional resilience as key tasks. We must protect our universities as places of free discourse and at the same time make them more resilient for the future."
With his re-election, the HAWs' member group is relying on continuity in a phase of important structural policy developments. In addition to strengthening application-oriented research and transfer, the focus is particularly on establishing new funding and cooperation structures.
"Around 21,000 professors teach at the UASs. The proportion of young people choosing to study at a UAS has risen steadily in recent decades. Currently, around 1.1 million people are studying at UASs, which accounts for almost 40% of all students in Germany. The importance of UASs in the field of application-oriented research and the transfer of results to industry and society has continued to grow: in 2024, for example, externally funded projects worth around 1 billion euros were carried out at UASs."
