Academic Exchange as a Link Between the East and West German Academic Systems

On 4 October 1990, the day after the official restoration of German unity, an important institution for the convergence of academic exchange between the GDR and the Federal Republic begins its work on the premises of the former GDR Ministry of Education: With the establishment of the so-called ‘Berlin-Mitte Centre’, the DAAD takes on a key role in the integration of East German universities into the international academic system. 

The challenges for the new job are enormous: for around 6,000 international scholarship holders from the former GDR from 78 countries, the aim is to quickly secure funding for living and study costs at 45 East German universities. 

The DAAD sees this challenge as a unique opportunity to build new bridges and promote exchange even more strongly. It develops a pioneering model that will ensure that thousands of international scholarship holders from the former GDR can successfully continue and complete their studies in reunified Germany. The ‘Arbeitsstelle Berlin-Mitte’ establishes an innovative funding system based on grant agreements with universities – especially in the then new federal states. This model proves to be a cornerstone of DAAD funding practice in the long term, as it enables flexible and needs-based support for the internationalisation needs of universities.

During the transition period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification, the DAAD decides to continue the exchange programmes of the GDR and to include East German professors in the selection committees. After reunification, the DAAD takes over responsibility for the support and funding of around 8,000 domestic and foreign students, graduates, researchers and lecturers from the former GDR.

The Berlin-Mitte Centre offers career prospects to around 30 employees of the dissolved GDR Ministry of Education, some of whom later transferred to the DAAD.

Building an International Network After Reunification

For the DAAD, the 1990s are at once a decade of growth and transformation and a time of profound political and social change.

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By the end of 1991, 28 universities and 14 student bodies from the new federal states are accepted into the DAAD as an association of German universities and student bodies. This gives them access to the DAAD's international networks, funding programmes and exchange opportunities, which strengthens their integration into the international academic community.

At the same time, the DAAD is expanding its networks in strategically important regions, some of which only became accessible after the reunification.  In 1993, it opens a branch office in Moscow with responsibility for the successor states of the Soviet Union with more than 900 universities. Two years later, in 1995, another branch office is opened in Beijing to emphasise the growing importance of Asia for the international academic landscape.

With an action programme adopted in 1996, the DAAD aims to make Germany more attractive for young international talent. Programmes are introduced that integrate English-language courses and compulsory stays abroad into degree courses. The DAAD also increases its involvement in Central and Eastern Europe and in 1994 supports over 12,600 scholarship holders on exchange programmes with these regions - a fourfold increase since 1984.

Milestones for a Globally Connected Academic World

In 1999 the Bologna Process ushers in a new era in higher education: 30 European heads of state and government sign the Bologna Declaration, which envisages the creation of a single European Higher Education Area. The DAAD plays a central role in the implementation of these reforms for German universities and is involved in international conferences that promote student mobility and the comparability of degrees. In the same year, the number of DAAD scholarship holders reaches over 60,000 for the first time, including 25,817 foreign and 34,237 German students.

Two personalities in particular have a decisive influence on the DAAD during this period: Prof Dr Theodor Berchem and Dr Christian Bode. Under Professor Berchem's leadership, the DAAD develops innovative programme lines in response to the challenges of reunification and the Bologna Process. Dr Christian Bode, Secretary General of the DAAD from 1990 to 2010, plays a central role in the integration of East German universities and significantly expands the funding programmes for Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union.