Dear reader,

“Let’s keep our society open and defend ourselves against attacks on democracy and the rule of law.” Exchange and understanding are important for social cohesion. They are also part of the Humboldt Foundation’s DNA, according to the Foundation’s President Robert Schlögl in a statement explicitly condemning right-wing extremism and racism.

We are convinced that the urgent problems of our time can only be solved by international cooperation. Through the Georg Forster Research Sponsorship Programme we therefore support collaborations between academics from developing and transition countries and researchers working in Germany. A new evaluation demonstrates the success of the programme.

He always campaigned for academic exchange – even in turbulent times: with this newsletter we say goodbye to our Secretary General, Enno Aufderheide, who led the Humboldt Foundation with foresight and great empathy for the interests of the researchers in the network for 14 years. Mr Aufderheide – we shall miss you!