“Germany has global appeal”

Professor Mukherjee, the DAAD is celebrating its 100th anniversary in challenging times. International cooperation is hampered by war and conflict, and established relationships in the academic domain such as that between Germany and the USA are under pressure, too. What do these developments mean for global academic exchange?
Staying with the example of the USA for now: the United States is still a very important partner country. The current course of the Trump administration gives us cause for concern when it comes to the necessary openness to academic exchange and support for science – but we are redoubling our efforts in the United States in response to this. We have a branch office in New York and an information centre in San Francisco; the DAAD also runs a German Centre for Research and Innovation (DWIH) in each of these two cities. In the USA, the DAAD programmes RISE Germany and RISE Professional have a strong practical focus and are particularly popular. They arrange research internships at German universities and non-university research institutions or with German companies. Germany continues to have global appeal: it is the second most attractive country for research and science worldwide and the third most attractive country for international students. 

How does the DAAD deal with conflict and war zones?
We try to support study and research for as long as possible, even in extreme situations. We have launched several programmes to promote German-Ukrainian exchange since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. These range from offers for the digital continuation of studies in war-ravaged Ukraine to the “German-Ukrainian University Network” programme launched at the end of 2024, which seeks to boost cooperation between universities in the two countries. We also offer targeted initiatives for persecuted and threatened researchers through the Hilde Domin Programme and SAFE (“Supporting At-risk researchers with Fellowships in Europe”), which we run with partner organisations based in France and Italy. And we run another programme which particularly supports Afghan women, who are prohibited from studying in their home country. 

How is the DAAD positioning itself for the future in its anniversary year?
At the beginning of 2025 we published our Strategy 2030, which sets out our priorities for the next five years. We are will strengthen Germany as a hub for science, innovation and business – for example with our “Campus-Initiative for International Talents”, which helps prepare international students and graduates even better for the German labour market. Together with our partners worldwide, we are developing solutions to tackle common challenges, for example through the Global Centres for Climate and Environment, as well as for Health and Pandemic Preparedness. And we’re looking to promote scientific diplomacy, democracy and social cohesion. So we believe we’re well positioned to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing, increasingly multipolar world.