The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has criticised the Federal Government's draft budget for 2025. With a planned cut of 13 million euros in the DAAD's basic funding - the so-called institutional budget - international academic exchange will be noticeably weakened in the DAAD's anniversary year.

"In its coalition agreement, the Federal Government set out a strategic prioritisation and promised DAAD an annual increase in its basic funding of three percent. With the current draft, it is not honouring its own target. However, in view of the 'Zeitenwende', foreign cultural, educational and scientific policy is of fundamental importance for our country. Academic cooperation with our international partners would be noticeably weakened by the planned cuts. Also in view of DAAD's 100th anniversary next year, the planned cuts in our basic funding hurts us very much," said DAAD President Prof Dr Joybrato Mukherjee.

13 million euros less basic funding 

The Federal Government's current draft budget for 2025 provides DAAD with 205 million euros in basic funding from the Federal Foreign Office. For the current year 2024, however, the German Bundestag had approved a good 218 million euros for DAAD. If the federal budget is approved as it stands, this would mean a shortfall of 13 million euros (minus six per cent). The basic funding secures the operation of DAAD. It also enables the awarding of scholarships to international students and the funding of German academics, for example as lecturers at universities around the world, as well as cooperation between German universities and international partners.
"We assume that the planned cuts will be discussed in the further legislative process in the German Bundestag," said the DAAD President.

Background

The DAAD receives funding for worldwide academic exchange from several public donors. The largest inflows from federal ministries - beyond the basic funding from the Federal Foreign Office - come from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ). The DAAD currently expects for 2025 around 185 million euros (BMBF) and just under 55 million euros (BMZ) from the BMBF and BMZ, which is a similar budget amount to the current financial year. Finally, the DAAD will receive around 243 million euros from the EU for the Erasmus+ programme in the coming year.