In a festive ceremony in Dresden on 11 December 2024, the rectors of Saxony's universities signed the new university target agreements with Minister Sebastian Gemkow (Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism - SMWK). The Vice-Rector for Sustainability and Communication, Professor Andreas Horsch, represented the Rector, Professor Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht, on behalf of TUBAF. In addition to overarching objectives, these university-specific agreements also formulate concrete goals for research, teaching and transfer at the respective universities. Based on the profile of the resource university, the SMWK and TUBAF have jointly agreed on goals for the next four years.
In addition to the areas of personnel development, internationalisation and digitalisation, the overarching objectives also include the topics of equality, equal opportunities, diversity and family. One focus will be on promoting women in management positions. TUBAF will therefore endeavour to further increase the proportion of female professors over the next four years. In the other professional fields, the proportion of women should be around one third by the end of the target agreement period. Another point is the topic of sustainability. TUBAF will develop a concept for its sustainability strategy by 31 December 2026.
In addition, specific goals have been formulated for teaching and studies, research and the so-called third mission, i.e. the university's social role and social responsibility. These are aimed, for example, at a targeted deepening or broadening of certain fields of study or a strengthening of research data management. TUBAF also continues its transfer strategy in the new paper. According to this, the number of (on average) one hundred research and transfer contracts per year will form the target value to be achieved in future. Similarly, 22 spin-offs are targeted for the years 2025 to 2028.
Planning security for the next four years
Every two years, TUBAF must report to the SMWK on the status of implementation of the agreed objectives. If TUBAF does not achieve 100% of its targets, future funding allocations may be reduced proportionately. However, Saxony's universities will also receive significantly more funding over the next four years (€200 million) than in the previous period, when the allocation was €180 million.
TUBAF Rector Professor Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht is very pleased with the new target agreement: "It gives us planning security for the next four years. And we see our profile as a resource university with a focus on engineering, natural sciences and economics confirmed. The profile-forming topic of resource management and the international anchoring run through all six of our faculties and will also enable comprehensive interdisciplinary research in the future. Our transfer projects and collaborations such as 4transfer also show that our previous planning and organisation of the university has proven its worth."