The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has warned that planned funding cuts by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) could effectively end Germany’s university cooperation in development policy in the coming years. 

The warning comes against a backdrop of tightening development budgets in Germany. BMZ’s funding is set at just over EUR 10.06 billion for 2026, down from almost EUR 14 billion four years ago, while the OECD says Germany’s official development assistance fell to 0.67% of gross national income in 2024, with BMZ’s own budget cut by 15%, following the political re-prioritisation.  

Under current BMZ plans, DAAD says nearly all of its programmes supporting university partnerships with the Global South would be phased out by 2031, except for one alumni programme. Additional projects funded through BMZ special initiatives are also set to expire. 

DAAD President Prof. Dr Joybrato Mukherjee said the cuts would undermine a central pillar of Germany’s foreign science policy and development cooperation. While they may reduce spending in the short term, he warned they would weaken Germany’s international role in science, business and skilled-worker recruitment. He also cautioned that countries such as China, and possibly Russia, could fill the resulting gaps in the Global South. 

The cuts would affect partnerships with universities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. By 2031, around 60 German universities could be affected. Some highly sought-after SDG partnership projects already cannot be re-tendered this year. 

BMZ-funded DAAD programmes currently support cooperation on issues including energy, water management, health, digitalisation and entrepreneurship. Over the past five years, they have reached nearly 120 000 people in almost 60 countries and involved around 450 partner institutions worldwide.