More students, more professorships, more money – from the point of view of the state government, the Bavarian university landscape has experienced a “record development” in the past five years. This was announced by Science Minister Markus Blume (CSU) on Tuesday after a cabinet meeting in which he presented an assessment of investments in research and teaching. The reason for this was the expiry of the most recent “innovation alliance” from 2018 to 2022. Such pacts are regularly concluded between the Free State and the institutions, they describe university policy objectives. It is a sort of control instrument that provides the strategic framework and gives the management and committees of the universities as much freedom as possible. A follow-up alliance was decided in the cabinet, it should now go to the state parliament. “It was five good years because the course was set for the future and the successes were immediately apparent,” said Blume. Bavaria as a science location is developing rapidly in all parts of the Free State.
Specifically: The number of students is therefore at a “record high”. Almost three percent more young people are enrolled in Bavaria compared to the 2018/2019 winter semester, currently around 403,400. They benefit “from an unprecedented number” of professors: 8,000, an increase of 20 percent since 2018. Also According to the cabinet report, the investments are at a record level: seven billion euros means 34 percent more than in 2018. The deliberations of these days in the budget committee of the state parliament, according to Blume, showed that the Free State is sticking with it even in difficult times; An increase of 3.6 percent over the previous year is scheduled in the new budget. In addition, there are numerous success stories such as top placements for universities in rankings and awards for scientists. Blume named the two major Munich universities at the press conference. 25 percent of the renowned Leibniz Prizes since 2018 alone have gone to Bavaria.
Criticism came from the opposition on Tuesday. Verena Osgyan (Greens) commented: The Minister of Science “seems to have forgotten once again that the Bavarian university landscape does not only consist of Munich”; because his reports of success were concentrated on the state capital. “But it is the task of the state government to ensure that cutting-edge research can gain a foothold not only in Munich, but throughout Bavaria.” For Christian Flisek (SPD), it would be “important not only to celebrate projects with a well-known name, but also to ensure the quality of teaching and research in the long term.” For this, the universities needed better basic financial resources. According to Flisek, his SPD is also demanding, for example, the renovation of dilapidated university buildings, emergency programs for overdue digitization and permanent positions for previously disadvantaged lecturers. Blume “categorically rejects all of this”.
State government calls for new child support for families
The cabinet of Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has also dealt with the subject of construction. The Free State wants to urge the federal government to take further measures to boost housing construction. In a Federal Council initiative, the state government is calling for new tax incentives, the continuation and increase of subsidies from the Reconstruction Loan Corporation (KfW) and a new child allowance for families. The existing federal law on the mobilization of building land must also be expanded so that municipalities can also intervene in the local property market that is not considered to be a tight housing market. In the current version, said Building Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU), only 56 of the more than 2,000 Bavarian cities and municipalities have such leeway, for example against real estate speculation. Bavaria is “on the right track” when it comes to housing construction, and now the federal government must also deliver. In the traffic light, however, Bernreiter senses “a demonization of home ownership”.
The minister again defended himself against the opposition’s accusation that Söder had made too many promises in housing construction, especially through the Bayernheim company founded in 2018. As research by the SZ at the beginning of the year showed, the target of 10,000 completed Bayernheim apartments by 2025 would be almost impossible to achieve. And tenants have so far only lived in a few purchased units. Recently, the opposition in the state parliament was outraged again about the “pipe burst” and a construction company that has not built anything to date. Bernreiter said on Tuesday that Bayernheim currently has 48 projects with 4,600 apartments under construction, planning and development; and she is in negotiations on dozens of cases. Requests come almost every day from “big players” whether Bayernheim should get involved in projects. “We are doing very well in the market.”