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Administration without queues – this could be the outcome of Prof. Dr. Anna Maria Oberländer's 'Change!' project. Her goal: people-centred digital administration.

The programme is aimed at professors at US universities who are conducting research on the future of democracy, fundamental rights and academic freedom, or the future of transatlantic relations and who would like to work simultaneously in both the USA and Germany for a period of three years.

On 10 September 2025, experts gathered at Herrenhausen Palace to take part in a symposium on the topic of why authoritarian regimes routinely attack educational institutions, what this says about the value of these institutions to open societies, and how universities can return to their core mission.

The VolkswagenStiftung has granted approximately €1.6 million to support nine innovative projects addressing current democratic challenges: from digital deradicalisation strategies and democratic structural reforms to protecting museums from far-right attacks. These projects adopt transdisciplinary approaches with practical relevance. 

What holds our society together in the face of the crisis of democracy? What concepts does science offer us to keep democracy strong and vibrant? We explore these questions in the latest issue of our magazine IMPULSE (in German).

Germany is at the centre of a maelstrom of global crises and conflicts. Right-wing populists are enjoying growing popularity. And many solutions are expected from the new federal government. And quickly! A conversation between sociologist Steffen Mau and Georg Schütte, CEO of the Volkswagen Foundation, about the end of the 'fair-weather democracy' (Mau) and the journey into the unknown.