Hanover (dpa / lni) – According to a newspaper report, weather and climate research in Hanover is on the brink because of the pressure to save at Leibniz University. “I am in no way happy about the closure plans. And the students see it very critically,” said Prof. Clemens Walther, the dean of the faculty, of the “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung” (Monday). He referred to the research strength of the meteorologists, who are well networked internationally: “Their research on changing the urban climate in the face of climate change is unique.” University President Volker Epping emphasized that no decisions had been made so far.
According to the report, Leibniz University will be missing around five million euros in 2020 and the following years because the state has cut the budget to consolidate its budget and negotiated a more expensive electricity contract. “Any cuts caused by the Corona crisis have not yet been taken into account,” said Epping. The university is therefore planning to phase out almost 100 positions in administration, teaching and research in the next few years. The university has a total of almost 5000 employees.
“The country will have to realize that we can no longer offer the full range. That can hit areas that the country may be very interested in,” said Epping. If professorships are dropped, this also means the loss of university places. “In view of the advancing climate crisis, the country cannot afford such a decision,” criticized Jürgen Manemann from the Research Institute for Philosophy in Hanover.
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