Season´s Greetings from the President
Dear Colleagues,
Christmas and the New Year are approaching and we will be enjoying a few days of well-deserved rest. As every year, this is the perfect time to pause and take a moment to reflect on the year drawing to a close. Together, we as the University of Mannheim have achieved great things in a year characterized by great dynamics and changes—both positive and challenging.
Once again this year, Mannheim scientists have made an impact beyond their own fields of research. Funding for our CRC TR 224 was extended for a third funding phase. This is a particular success for interdisciplinary collaborative research. I would like to congratulate all those involved on behalf of the university and thank you for your commitment.
One focus of the President’s Office was the development and initial implementation of our Fit4Excellence research strategy: The research strategy committee has taken up its activities; and, lead by Vice President Jutta Mata, the university has identified and formulated its research focus areas. We are generating a tangible impact through the new Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) and its first cohort of fellows. And with UMAXplore, we are setting up a new way to fund your research. Many thanks to all those who have contributed and continue to contribute their knowledge and ideas to these undertakings. I am very much convinced that we are laying the groundwork for future success in collaborative research.
I want to thank each and everyone of you for your great commitment to studies and teaching, be it in teaching itself or in central services or administration. We have achieved a lot in the area of teaching: In 2025, we saw the launch of the Data Literacy certificate program designed in the MaDaLi2 project, which is open to students of all subjects. It is the second of its kind after the Studium Oecologicum. The cross-school project InnoMA with 44 innovative, digital teaching projects was successfully completed. We honored early-stage researchers who contributed innovative teaching concepts with this year’s teaching awards.
Internationalization remains a strong key feature of our university: The portion of our students who spend part of their studies abroad has increased to 42 percent. In this respect, we are the top university in Germany. Our European University Alliance ENGAGE.EU makes a palpable difference for the university, far beyond student exchanges. If you have not been involved yet: Please take the opportunity in the New Year and get involved in one of the programs and offers for researchers and teaching staff, for doctoral students and postdocs or for administrative staff members.
Equal opportunity, particularly at the professorial level, remains one of our priorities. I am therefore all the more pleased to welcome three female professors funded by the “Professorinnenprogramm 2030” to the university. Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important part of our work. This is reflected in the growing number of sustainability-related courses and in the strong commitment of many staff members within the working group on sustainability. And with initiatives such as the Diversity Week, the “Demokratie braucht Diskurs” lecture series, and the participatory development of a diversity strategy, we are sending a clear signal that we promote diversity and tolerance on our campus.
Digitalization and artificial intelligence in research, teaching and administration remain both an opportunity and a challenge. The newly established AI core team is looking at the potential of AI—particularly for innovative teaching and learning as well as for simplifying many daily (administrative) tasks. WANDELdigital, our digitalization program, successfully introduced the electronic student file, among other things. Moreover, the substantial progress in the construction of the new UNIT building highlights the university’s ongoing commitment to digitalization.
We had reasons to celebrate this year at the anniversaries of the University of Mannheim Foundation and the Service und Marketing GmbH as well as at the Uni-Fest in September, which focused on the dialog between researchers and the citizens of Mannheim.
These spotlights—far from complete—show us: Even in challenging times, we as a university can achieve great things together. My sincere thanks go to all of you for your commitment, professionalism, and reliability—whether in research and teaching, in our schools and service facilities, or in the many areas that ensure smooth day-to-day operations.
Certainly, the year 2026 will bring new challenges. Last but not least, the transition to the new higher education funding agreement (HoFV III) will be a challenge as the financial framework in which we operate becomes tighter in line with the general budget development. Nonetheless, thanks to the planning security granted by the state, we will be able to advance the strategic development of our university in the future.
I look forward to continuing on this path with you, inspired by new ideas, mutual confidence, and the shared joy of shaping things together.
I wish you merry Christmas, a relaxing holiday season and a good start to the New Year!
Sincerely yours,
Thomas Fetzer