Higher Education Funding Agreement Signed
On 2 April, the new higher education funding agreement 2026 to 2030 (HoFV III) between the Land of Baden-Württemberg and its higher education institutions was signed in Stuttgart. The University of Mannheim was represented by President Professor Thomas Fetzer and Executive Vice President Dr. Katrin Schoppa-Bauer.
The higher education funding agreement provides a reliable financial framework for the next five years and allows Baden-Württemberg's higher education institutions to plan ahead – even under difficult budgetary conditions. It provides for an annual increase in basic funding of 3.5 percent as of 2027. In total, basic funding will increase by around EUR 700 million by 2030. The Land of Baden-Württemberg is also providing EUR 180 million through the additional “Zukunftsprogramm Hochschule 2030”, a program designed to help higher education institutions better align their programs with the needs of the economy and society and the demands of prospective students. The program comprises a so-called transformation budget as well as transformation positions, i.e., professorships focusing on transformation. These are intended to promote the further development of degree programs and to enable higher education institutions to meet the challenges of transformation in academia effectively and quickly.
“The higher education funding agreement is an important statement providing reliability and showing appreciation for the higher education institutions of Baden-Württemberg. We are grateful to the government for this support. In these challenging times, this commitment is all the more significant,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Fetzer, President of the University of Mannheim. “It enables us to further develop the quality of research and teaching and to tackle important future-oriented projects. In view of the many challenges we face, especially as a university, however, it remains crucial that we continue to use the available resources responsibly in the years to come.”
In addition to the increase in funding, the HoFV III also includes measures to promote fair employment conditions, support climate protection goals, and strengthen diversity and equal opportunity.
For more information on the higher education funding agreement (HoFV III), please visit the website of the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg: mwk-bw.de/hofv3 (in German).