In January 2024, Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) will become a foundation under public law and will no longer be sponsored by the state of Lower Saxony. This was resolved by the state government during its cabinet meeting held on 11 December 2023. LUH is taking advantage of an option established in the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act that gives universities in Lower Saxony more independence.
"Our scientific policy in Lower Saxony and the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act are characterised by the idea of further strengthening and expanding the autonomy of universities", says Falko Mohrs, Minister of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony, adding: "The transfer of Leibniz University Hannover from state sponsorship to sponsorship by a foundation under public law gives the university a particularly high degree of autonomy and freedom."
"Operating under the auspices of a public foundation is an enormous advantage for Leibniz University Hannover", confirms Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mlynek, chairperson of LUH’s foundation council. "I congratulate the Presidential Board who, together with the Senate, have chosen this path to make the university future-proof and as autonomous as possible. I am looking forward to my new role and to continuing to accompany and support Leibniz University Hannover together with my colleagues on the foundation council.”
Prof. Dr. Volker Epping, President of LUH, adds: "For our university, this step means even more creative freedom as well as greater potential for further development.” "However, the Presidential Board is also aware of the responsibility this entails, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of Leibniz University Hannover once again for being open to the possibilities and opportunities of the foundation model. The change in sponsorship is a joint decision that we have taken with great consensus for the benefit of Leibniz University Hannover.
In particular, LUH will be given more leeway and autonomy in the following areas:
Appointment negotiations
LUH gains autonomy in organising appointments faster and in a more flexible manner. In addition, LUH will be able to create professorships and civil servant positions and set salaries independently – without involving the Ministry of Science and Culture or the Ministry of Finance, as was previously the case.
Finances
In the long term, this allows the foundation to build assets and achieve greater financial independence. Funding provided by the state of Lower Saxony as well as external donations from individuals or the industry can also be managed as endowments through financial investments.
Buildings and properties
The foundation owns university plots and properties and has the permanent right to plan or implement building projects. This means that construction projects and repairs can be planned independently and carried out in a more purposeful, flexible and time-efficient manner – also in terms of sustainability.
Despite the change in sponsorship, the state of Lower Saxony will continue to provide basic funding for LUH. The state provides the foundation with an annual budget to fulfil its tasks as a higher education institution. Degrees, teaching activities or tuition fees will not be affected by this change in sponsorship. For members of staff, nothing is going to change either: Members of staff continue to work in public service in accordance with the conditions determined in collective agreements, despite the foundation being their new employer. The same applies to civil servants; their employer is no longer the state of Lower Saxony, but the foundation.
In organisational terms, the University Council as an advisory body is replaced by the foundation council as the governing body of the foundation. At LUH, all external members of the University Council continue to serve the university and have joined the foundation council.
Members of the foundation council:
Dr. Ulrike Albrecht (Consultant for Global Research Cooperation and Internationalization Strategies; former head of the department Strategy and External Relations of the Humboldt Foundation);
Prof. Dr. Christine Falk (head of the Institute of Transplant Immunology at Hannover Medical School);
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Fettweis (Vodafone Chair for Mobile Communications Systems at TU Dresden);
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Köster (member of the LUH Senate, professorship in the field of sanitary engineering at Leibniz University Hannover);
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mlynek (chairperson, chairperson of the board of trustees of the Falling Walls Foundation, former president of the Helmholtz Association);
Prof. Dr. Joachim Schachtner (state secretary, Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony);
Silke Sehm (executive board member of Hannover Rück SE)
The members of the Presidential Board, a representative of the student body, the equal opportunities officer as well as a member of the staff council generally attend the meetings of the foundation council in an advisory capacity.
Further information: www.uni-hannover.de/stiftung
Note to editors:
For further information, please contact Mechtild Freiin v. Münchhausen, spokesperson of Leibniz University Hannover and head of Communications and Marketing (Tel. 0511 762-5342, Email kommunikation@uni-hannover.de).
