Berlin's universities are taking the next step in their conflict with the Berlin Senate over university funding. Within the State Conference of Rectors and Presidents of Berlin Universities (LKRP), many universities have joined forces in a joint legal action and are jointly preparing a possible lawsuit against the state of Berlin for compliance with the university contracts.
Just over a year ago, on 16 February 2024, the university contracts valid for the years 2024-2028 were signed by the Berlin Senator for Science and the university managements. They are a very important instrument for Berlin's universities and should give them planning security with regard to their funding and development. After the universities had already made a one-off lump-sum reduction in expenditure in 2024, the House of Representatives decided at the end of 2024 to no longer provide the promised funds to fulfil the university contracts.
Since March 2025, the universities have been in intensive talks with the Senate Department for Science, Care and Health about a possible adjustment to the university contracts. These talks have shown that consensual changes could be achieved in some areas. Overall, however, the current funding volume for the years 2025-2028 remains far too low.
Prof Dr Julia von Blumenthal, LKRP spokesperson and President of Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin, commented: "We have been in intensive talks for months with the responsible Senate administration, but also with the Governing Mayor and the Berlin Finance Senator, in order to find joint solutions to the difficult financial situation. The positive signals from politicians and the commitment to Berlin as a centre of science and the importance of the science system are very important and we are not fundamentally opposed to the political requirement to downsize the university system. But the savings demanded of us universities, and in such a short space of time, overburden us. Cost risks, especially in the area of personnel, are not sufficiently recognised. We universities want to be able to continue to reliably fulfil our important tasks for Berlin. For this reason, many of Berlin's universities have decided to press ahead together with the preparation of a lawsuit to honour the university contracts once promised. We are yet to decide whether we universities will ultimately take legal action against the Senate."