Opening of the Science Year of the HSZG 2023-24

Turning points do not happen overnight, nor are they brought about solely by a war. They have a history of their own and a timeframe that is not confined to a single moment. They extend into the future and raise questions that—sometimes only gradually—cause us to reevaluate and reassess our perspectives.

On the occasion of this year’s “Opening of the Year of Science”—a good year and a half after the government statement announced by Chancellor Scholz on February 27, 2022, during the special session of the German Bundestag—we would like to ask: Does this turning point concern us? Is this also our turning point—a turning point for and at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences?

More specifically, we want to explore and discuss with you whether research and teaching at the university are facing new challenges—not only due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences, but also in light of climate change and regional structural transformation in Lausitz—that call into question existing orientations, topics, and concepts—and if so, to what extent? The relevant topics clearly range from new framework conditions for energy research and the energy transition to issues of migration and questions regarding how to handle defense research at our university.

Even though we certainly won’t be able to address all relevant aspects, we would like to dedicate this year’s “Opening of the Year of Science” to the topic “A Turning Point”—which we hope will also be of interest to you—specifically: “A Turning Point—Also for Research? Challenges in Defense Research, Migration, Climate Change, and Regional Structural Change”—a topic we hope you’ll find engaging—and invite you to join us on October 11, 2023, starting at 4:30 p.m. at the university campus in Görlitz.

We would be delighted to welcome you to the opening ceremony and a small reception afterward in Görlitz.

With good wishes and kind regards

Raj Kollmorgen
Prorector for Research

The event will include a poster session featuring Saxony-funded (TG 70) research projects.

Program:
4:30 PM Welcome (PF)
4:35–5:00 PM A Turning Point and Challenges for Future Research (Presentation, Prof. Kollmorgen, PF)
5:00–6:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: Pros and Cons—New Regional Research Fields After the Turning Point? Challenges at the Intersection of Defense Research, Climate Change, and Regional Structural Transformation.
6:00–6:20 p.m. A Turning Point at Europe’s External Borders? – Trends in the Governance of Irregular Migration Since 2015 (Jan Schaller (M.A.), Research Associate at the Institute for Transformation, Housing, and Social Spatial Development at HSZG)
6:20–7:30 p.m. Reception and light buffet
7:30 p.m. End of the event