Universities ‘risk autonomy loss’, warn funders

German universities must back their governing boards to protect their autonomy and avoid having their policies dictated by ministries, a paper by the Stifterverband warns.

The document, developed by a group of university heads, was launched by the Stifterverband, a group of German research funders, on 1 February. It warns that Germany’s universities risk losing their autonomy by taking power away from their boards and chancellors.