Fraunhofer-GesellschaftStatement from the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany
February 19, 2015
The current discussion surrounding immigration and asylum is moving society; it is keeping the media busy and challenging politics. Besides the fact that a demographically ageing society also needs immigration, a particular perspective applies for science, as it is and always has been international.
Scientific knowledge does not respect national boundaries. The ideas of people from other cultures, religions and nationalities foster creative work and, in the final consequence, enrich us all.
At the present time, more than 300,000 of our students come from abroad. More than 56,000 scientists from another country who are funded by the German Research organisations invest their experience and their ideas in research and in teaching. This high international attractiveness can only be upheld when researchers from all over the world feel welcome together with their families in Germany and given the support they need. To this end, science and politics are already efficiently working together.
Science is manifold, and likewise are the people working in it. This fact should be employed for the prosperity and safety of us all. The organisations in the alliance strongly advocate to bundle all forces to ensure that Germany will remain an open, tolerant and international hub of science.
Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Leopoldina German National Academy of Sciences – National Academy of Sciences and Humanities
German Research Foundation
German Academic Exchange Service
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Helmholtz Association
German Rectors' Conference
Max Planck Society
Leibniz Association
German Council of Science and Humanities
Media contact Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany:
Dr. Christina Beck
Head of Science and Corporate Communication
at the Max Planck Society
Tel: +49 89 2108-1275
E-Mail: christina.beck@gv.mpg.de