30 years of Unibund: Anniversary celebrates success of Halle, Jena and Leipzig!

30 years of Unibund: Anniversary celebrates success of Halle, Jena and Leipzig!

A very special celebration is imminent: The Mitteldeutsche Universitätsbund Halle-Jena-Leipzig, known as the Unibund, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Founded in 1995, the Unibund has developed into an important player who drives joint projects in research and teaching. On the occasion of the anniversary, a festive event will take place on June 23, 2025 at 10 a.m. in the Paulinum - Aula and University Church of St. Pauli in Leipzig href = "https://nachrichten.idw-online.de/2025/06/17/unibund-hallejena-leipzig-feier-30-jaehrige-besteheenen?groupcolor=6"> IDW-Online reports .

The anniversary celebration is opened by greeting from the ministries of the federal states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony. As part of a panel discussion that begins at 11:30 a.m., prominent representatives of the universities will exchange their thoughts about the success of the facilities and future excellence efforts. Participants include Prof. Dr. Claudia Becker from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and Prof. Dr. Eva Inés Highfell from the University of Leipzig.

from success in research on the excellence strategy

The keynote speech at 11 a.m. to the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (IDIV), which is considered the most successful project of the Unibund. IdIV, which is financed by the German Research Foundation and is now permanently supported by the federal states and universities, has an excellent reputation as a leading institution in biodiversity research. This is a clear example of strengthening through cooperation, as well as Prof. Dr. Andreas Marx from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena underlined.

The excellence strategy (Exstra), through which many of these successes are made possible, aims to strengthen universities in Germany by promoting top scientific achievements. The German Research Foundation explains that the decision about future excellence clusters is due in May 2025, which is causing an exciting time for the universities in Germany.

A look into the future of the Unibund

In the afternoon program from 1:30 p.m., scientists will report on the cooperation and future initiatives. Lectures on joint courses in museums and collections as well as the cooperation of the language centers are planned. On the young scientists: The inside is also paid to a mentoring program for post-doctoralands and the Leibniz ScienceCampus "Eastern Europe-Global Area" (EEGA).

The importance of the Unibund and the Excellence Strategy cannot be assessed highly enough, because they contribute to the positive development of Germany's university location. The Science Council emphasizes that the annual funding is currently 533 million euros, with an increase to 687 million euros from 2026.

The cross -university perspective and the initiatives of the universities are not only a profit for science, but also for everyone involved in the region. The Unibund Forum at the Leipzig Book Fair is expected with great anticipation and a lot of encouragement. An exciting time for university formation in Central Germany is due and we look forward to what the future will bring.