Ceremonial opening of the academic year 2025/2026

The topic of the event is the role of universities in a changing world: How can they position themselves between scientific excellence, social responsibility and international networking? What future prospects are opening up for research, teaching and transfer? These are questions that Prof. Dr. Linda Doyle, President of Trinity College Dublin, will also address in her keynote speech on the development of universities in the 21st century.

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kleine-Vehn from the Cluster of Excellence CIBBS - Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies and Prof. Dr. Marc Hanewinkel from the Cluster of Excellence Future Forest will then provide impetus from cutting-edge research.

The event will be rounded off with a short discussion between Lord Mayor Martin Horn and two student representatives from University College Freiburg (UCF) on the topic of "Shaping the future together".

The Academic Orchestra of the University campus Freiburg will provide the traditional musical backdrop. The award ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., during which outstanding achievements will be honored.

Moderation: Dr. Arndt Michael (Head of the Colloquium politicum)