On 23 January 2025, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) published the DAAD Strategy 2030, in the year that marks the 100th anniversary of the organisation. Serving as a compass, the strategy analyses the current conditions for international academic cooperation and puts forward several objectives for the next five years. The strategy adopts a foreign science realpolitik approach, focusing on the opportunities of global collaboration, while being mindful of potential risks. The DAAD Strategy 2030 outlines the following priorities: 

• enhancing Germany as a location for academia, science, innovation, and business; 
• seeking joint solutions to address global challenges; 
• shaping science diplomacy in a multipolar world, and; 
• promoting social cohesion and democracy. 

The listed priorities are reflected in ten strategic objectives within the strategy, aligning with three core areas of action: funding, networking, and advising. Additionally, they align with the intersecting dimensions of sustainability, diversity, and digitisation. By achieving these strategic objectives, the DAAD simultaneously pursues its mission and vision under the organisation’s motto “Change through Exchange”: through international academic exchange (mission), the aim is to promote individuals’ personal development and qualifications. Additionally, the ambition is to shape and influence social and global transformation processes for a better future on our planet (vision). 

The strategy was developed through extensive collaboration, involving DAAD's member universities, student organisations, funding recipients, alumni, and key federal ministries, particularly the Federal Foreign Office, which is DAAD's institutional sponsor. Additionally, other partners and stakeholders also contributed to the strategy's development. 

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