She issued an emphatic warning about global attacks on the freedom of research and teaching, and made clear: “Where scientific findings are subject to political control or targeted discreditation, there is more at stake than individual research projects – namely, democracy itself.”
“No democracy without freedom of science” she stated with reference to current developments in the USA in particular, where research fields are subject to political pressure, funding cuts and ideological content appraisals. The consequences go far beyond national borders, as science relies on international exchange and public debate of views, independently of political opportunity or ideology.
At the same time, she made it clear that Europe and Germany are not immune to such tendencies: Attempts to exert political influence, subtle forms of intimidation and targeted disinformation are also capable of undermining trust in science and democratic institutions here.
Against this background, Steinbeck called on universities to take a stand when fundamental democratic values are called into question. As bastions of knowledge and upholders of values, they must assume responsibility for democratic resilience. The so-called principle of neutrality does not preclude this. “Neutral does not mean looking away,” says the President. On the contrary, all members of the University have an obligation of loyalty to the constitution and the management of HHU “will not let a misinterpreted principle of neutrality deter them from actively defending this democracy” – a sentence, which received particularly loud applause.
Trust, responsibility and solidarity are needed to protect science and democracy. Trust in good research practice must be strengthened by means of transparency, dialogue and cohesive science communication. Responsibility means empowering students to think critically and act democratically. And solidarity is necessary so that universities can stand united against attacks rather than having to respond unilaterally.
Her concluding appeal: Freedom of science cannot be understood as the privilege of an academic elite. Rather, it is the foundation of an open society. “If we want our society to remain resilient in the future, we must reinforce the standing of science now – with all our might.”
The President also looked back over HHU’s year of anniversary celebrations last year. She mentioned the impressive appearances by Guest Professor Charlotte Knobloch and scientific successes: the extension of the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for a further seven years and the successful funding award in the national “Startup Factories” competition, enabling the establishment of a cross-university startup centre to support technologically innovative startups in the Rhine region. The teaching project CoLab was also launched in October 2025, marking the start of a new process of co-creative study programme development focused on future skills. Further major successes included the acquisition of a second Alexander von Humboldt professorship and a total of 476 German National Scholarships, putting HHU at the top of the ranking list in North Rhine-Westphalia.
