1 November 2023
Hamburg Declaration on University Careers in Academia
Photo: LHK Hamburg
Hamburg’s public universities want to achieve the following with the Hamburger Erklärung zu Hochschul-Karrierewegen in der Wissenschaft (PDF, in German):
- Increase the proportion of permanent vs. temporary employment options in academia as far as feasible and if they can be financed.
- Introduce models that make individual careers in Hamburg more attractive, that foster the retention of experts, and support universities in their tasks more strongly than to date.
- Qualitatively improve supervision, guidance, recruitment, and evaluation processes.
The Hamburg declaration on careers in academia allows for variable, flexible suggestions for developing measures to be used depending on university type, conditions, and academic culture. This arose in close consultation with the Ministry of Science, Research, Equalities and Districts.
Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, spokesperson for the Hamburg's State Higher Education Conference (LHK) and president of Universität Hamburg: “With the Hamburg declaration, we as the LHK Hamburg have presented progressive recommendations for career paths in academia. Hamburg’s universities are joining forces on the path towards promising and customized solutions. Hamburg, a hub of science and scholarship, will facilitate modernized and attractive career options in academia and the qualification measures for outstanding personalities in research and teaching. Together, all participating institutions will work on steadily developing academic employment conditions—with a focus on sustainability, equal opportunity, and diversity as well as reliability and planning certainty. The declaration shows that the universities are in a position to initiate and implement reforms on their own and to take the lead on national issues.”
Science senator Katharina Fegebank added: “Foreseeable career paths, future-oriented working conditions, and a family-friendly environment—this is how Hamburg will continue to be an attractive urban academic hub for outstanding researchers and teachers from Germany, Europe, and the world. Hamburg universities working in concert and presenting the Hamburger Erklärung zu Hochschul-Karrierewegen in der Wissenschaft sends a strong signal. This will contribute to the retention of experts and our city’s future and we will strengthen the quality and diversity of Hamburg’s university and research landscape with new ideas.”
About the LHK Hamburg:
The Hamburg State Higher Education Conference is an association of presidents of Hamburg’s universities that are members of the German Rectors’ Conference. Together, they are developing positions on university policy issues and perspectives and advocating for common goals. The member universities are: Universität Hamburg, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)), Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg), HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU)), The Hamburg University of Music and Drama, Hochschule für bildende Künste (HFBK), the Helmut Schmidt University, Bucerius Law School, and the Evangelische Hochschule für Soziale Arbeit & Diakonie.