High hurdles in the recruitment of professors

Currently, more than 21,000 professors work at HAWs in Germany. Projections of the Federal Statistical Office indicate that more than a quarter of full-time professors at HAWs will have retired by 2030. Recruiting requirements that are different from those for university professors present high hurdles in the recruitment of HAW professors:

• In addition to academic qualifications, candidates for HAW professorships must have several years of practical work experience, which means they must have worked in industry.
• Furthermore, potential candidates are not sufficiently aware of the pathway to and prerequisites for a HAW professorship, one reason being that many talented graduates who have earned their doctorate at a university initially embark on an exclusively academic or industrial career.
• Another reason is that fewer and fewer people wish to work in science and academia. Alongside the widespread skills shortage in society, this has an adverse effect on universities of applied sciences in particular: Compared to universities, work at HAWs involves more varied requirements and is still less prestigious within the academic system due to its practical orientation.

The problem has been getting worse for years as posts cannot be filled at all or recruitment is only possible with great delay.

Tailor-made solutions

In view of the special challenges, the Federal Government and the Länder adopted the FH‑Personal programme in 2018 to support the recruitment and qualification of professorial staff at universities of applied sciences. The aim is to strengthen the unique role which HAWs play in fostering science and innovation in Germany. They supplement the research-driven university sector by focusing more on the needs of industry and society and providing for practical relevance through individual exchange. Under the FH-Personal programme, they develop strategic and structurally effective instruments for the recruitment and qualification of professorial staff.

This joint programme of the Federal Government and the Länder assists HAWs in implementing individual measures for professorial recruitment and development. For example, funding is provided for

• Specific professorial chairs called “Schwerpunktprofessur”
• Cooperative doctoral programmes
• Tandem qualification programmes
• Cooperation platforms

However, each funded university of applied sciences must develop its own solutions, based on its specific requirements and conditions.

Support from the Federal Government and the Länder

The programme provides funding for selected projects over a period of up to six years. The first implementation phase started in 2021, the second phase in 2023. These were preceded by a conceptual phase (2019-2020) of up to eight months, during which the project ideas for next-generation professorial recruitment and development were fleshed out. The Federal Government and the Länder are providing a total of up to 431.5 million euros under the programme to support 98 HAWs and 150 cooperation partners throughout Germany. Federal and Länder funding is provided on a 71:29 basis.