lookKIT 02/2011 - PKM - KIT

0211
68 Horizonte/Horizons
"It is the advantage of EUCOR that achievements
reached at other universities are readily accepted
by the home university."
Horst Hippler
About the Person
International cooperation in research and
teaching is considered important by the
President of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
(KIT), Professor Horst Hippler, also in view of
his own biography. After studies of physics
at Göttingen, he moved to French-speaking
Switzerland to the École Polytechnique in
Lausanne, where he did his Ph. D. Following
his postdoctoral lecture qualification in
Göttingen, Hippler was appointed to the
Chair of Physical Chemistry in Karlsruhe in
1993. In 1998, he spent one year as a guest
professor at the Université de Lille 1.
In 2002, Hippler, born in 1946, was elected
President of the former Universität Karlsruhe
(TH). He successfully continued work in
the confederation of European universities
on the Upper Rhine River (EUCOR). After
2002/2003, he was appointed president
of the association for the second time in
2010/2011. From 2002 to 2004, Hippler
worked on the coordination committee of
the German-French University. Since 2006,
he has been representing the conference
of German university presidents in the
Council of the German-French University.
Hippler’s commitment to the networking of
KIT with French universities has resulted in
a very close and fruitful collaboration with
the École nationale supérieure d’arts et
métiers (ENSAM), the Institut national des
sciences appliquées (INSA) de Lyon, and the
Institut polytechnique de Grenoble. For his
contributions to the long-lasting cooperation
among German-French universities, Hippler
was recently granted the honorary doctorate
of ENSAM, a founding member of ParisTech.
Internationalization starts at our front
door. KIT plays an active role in the
confederation of European universities on
the Upper Rhine River, EUCOR. You have
been appointed president for the second
time. How important is a regional identity
for research and teaching in the European
context?
Its importance is increasing. On the Upper Rhine
River, with the regions of Basel, Alsace, and
Baden, we have a chance to be active across the
borders. EUCOR universities noted this long ago.
They started to exchange students. More than
20 years ago, this was highly important. Today,
many exchange programs exist, borders have
disappeared. As a result, the perspective of EUCOR
has changed. Its focus has turned to research. Joint
summer schools, where the scientists get to know
each other and identify relevant topics together
with younger colleagues, are fascinating.
Does EUCOR contribute to increasing the
visibility of the actors on the Upper Rhine
around the world, like a kind of Silicon
Valley?
The wish for a Trinational Upper Rhine Metropolitan
Region has existed for some years now. Various
actors have been working toward this objective
in four working groups of economy, science,
civil society, and politics. In December 2010, the
Trinational Upper Rhine Metropolitan Region was
founded officially. First of all, this is a political
activity to better network industry and science,
the public and culture. I consider this to be very
important. EUCOR in particular has ensured that
science in this initiative is represented by highly
prominent partners. KIT has contributed decisively
– the strategic paper in the area of science was
set up under the direction of KIT. Originally, we
planned to establish a science fund supported
by public funds from the three regions. We have
not been entirely successful. We received funds
for innovations in cooperation with industry, but
unfortunately not for networked research. Still,
I think that the Trinational Upper Rhine Metropolitan
Region would not have been established without
EUCOR.
Do the EUCOR universities consider
themselves to be competitors?
Over the years, the universities have developed
a relationship of mutual trust. This helps, if you
wish to cooperate in research. Moreover, EUCOR
increasingly has become an association of
excellent institutions. What were previously three
universities at Strasbourg merged into one large
university that is well up in the French excellence
competition. Freiburg and Karlsruhe have already
achieved excellence status. And also Basel is an
excellent university. On the Upper Rhine, we are in
a very good position to coordinate strategies and
to act jointly. An example is the German-French
Institute for Environmental Research (DFIU) that is
run under the label of EUCOR and with KIT as the
leading partner. Its scope extends far beyond the
regions of the confederation. In the coming years,
EUCOR will certainly propel research.
As regards education, can EUCOR help
to smooth difficulties in the European
restructuring of study programs after
the Bologna reform, for instance, in the
mobility of students?
The mobility of German students is as high as in any
other nation. I do not see any need for improvement.
It is to the advantage of the EUCOR association,
however, that the universities be very well informed
about the quality of study programs and seminars
at the partner universities. Achievements at other
universities are readily accepted by the home
university.