Welcome to
Heidelberg University
“We are shocked and shaken” – Sympathy and Solidarity from all over the world
“With immense gratitude we are receiving an overwhelming number of expressions and signs of sympathy, solidarity and condolence, pouring in to our university from all over the world after the terrible events on Monday. The academic community is profoundly shocked and shaken by an incomprehensible deed,” stated Prof. Dr Bernhard Eitel, Rector of Ruperto Carola. “In a university lecture hall, a place of learning, exchange and encounter, a student started firing at his fellow students, killed a fellow student and injured others, also threatening teachers present.” The members of the university, said the Rector, joined the relatives in mourning the death of the 23-year-old victim. “For Ruperto Carola this expression of violence, this attack on human life, is also an attack on our academic self-understanding, which we will resolutely resist as a community.” It will take time, places and encounters to work through the events, he added, both for those directly and those indirectly affected. Heidelberg University was offering support, accompaniment and counselling in various forms.
University
Founded in 1386, Ruperto Carola is the oldest university in today's Germany and one of Europe’s leading research institutions. Its success across all funding rounds of the Excellence Competition and international rankings underscore its leadership role and excellent reputation in the academic, scientific and research landscape.
Research
Heidelberg University defines itself as an internationally networked research university dedicated to research-oriented teaching. It believes it has a duty to help address the issues facing humanity by crossing the divide between disciplines.
Study
Courses of study at Heidelberg University are informed by its strong research focus and are designed to accustom students to independent research practices early on. With over 160 fields of study, it offers the broad spectrum of subjects representative of a comprehensive university as well as abundant opportunities to acquire a singular and internationally competitive qualification profile.
Transfer
The exchange between basic research and technological innovation as well as the targeted transfer of knowledge and insights into society are the focus of the transfer activities.
Heidelberg Discourse about University Research in Digital Formats
It is fundamental to the nature of academic inquiry to seek answers to the great questions of humanity and to engage in ongoing discussion with political and societal stakeholders about university research and its findings. During the coronavirus pandemic, too, Heidelberg University wishes to uphold this important discourse with the public at large. It has therefore created heiONLINE, Heidelberg University’s central portal, where lectures, discussion panels and podcasts are available for download in digital formats. They also include the “Ruperto Carola Lecture Series” which, in keeping with the theme “In Focus: Friend and Foe”, explores the question “Quo vadis USA?”.
