Post by Andres Suarez

As a former PhD researcher in the International PhD Program for Agricultural Economics, Bioeconomy & Sustainable Food Systems (IPPAE), funded through the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service #EPOS programme, I am deeply concerned about the planned phase-out of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) funding for international higher education cooperation programmes. These programmes do much more than fund degrees—they build lasting partnerships between Germany and countries of the Global South, -Colombia in my case- strengthen scientific capacity, foster intercultural exchange, and contribute to addressing global sustainability challenges. The potential discontinuation of these initiatives risks undermining decades of successful academic cooperation and reducing opportunities for future generations of scholars committed to #SustainableDevelopment. I stand in support of the efforts of German universities and partner institutions advocating for the continuation of these programmes. International academic cooperation is not an expense—it is an investment in knowledge, innovation, and global partnerships that benefit us all. #SaveDAADPartnerships #HigherEducation #InternationalCooperation #AcademicPartnerships #GlobalSouth #Sustainability #Research #DevelopmentCooperation Dr. Pavlina Miteva-Bölter Martin Petrick