14 March 2024

On 13 March 2024, the Parliamentary Evening of the Thuringian State Presidents' Conference (TLPK) took place in the Thuringian State Parliament under the motto "Our universities are worth their weight in gold". Thuringia's ten state universities presented a broad spectrum of their activities to emphasise their immense importance for the state of Thuringia and its population. Their activities are not limited to academic education, but also influence the economy, cultural and social life and the future viability of the Free State.

Image 1: The President of the Thuringian State Parliament Birgit Pommer welcomes the guests


Image 2: The Chairman of the TLPK and President of the Ilmenau University of Technology Prof. Dr Kai-Uwe-Sattler and the Deputy Chairman and President of the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena Prof. Dr Steffen Teichert in conversation with Prof. Juan M.V. Garcia, Vice President for Practice and Research at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar

A recent study by Heidelberg University on behalf of the TLPK confirms the outstanding contribution of these educational institutions to Thuringia's economic development based on data from 2022. According to the study "The regional economic importance of state universities in the Free State of Thuringia", three factors are decisive.

One key aspect is the university-related expenditure itself. The state universities invested 967 million euros in wages and salaries as well as in materials and services in the year in question. The almost 46,000 students spent a further 673 million euros.

Due to their higher qualifications, graduates from the ten universities achieved a higher income than their peers without a university degree. The study speaks of almost 700 million euros on the labour market.

Another important factor is the spin-offs from the universities, which generated additional expenditure totalling 139 million euros in 2022.

Overall, this resulted in a total effect of a good 2 billion euros and almost 30,000 jobs in the state. According to the study, for every euro that flowed into the basic funding of the 10 state universities in Thuringia in 2022, a value added of 3.64 euros was generated.

In his speech, the Chairman of the TLPK, Prof. Dr Kai-Uwe Sattler, emphasised the central role of universities for the development of Thuringia: "Our universities are not only research and educational institutions, but also drivers of innovation and impetus for the entire region. The results of the impact study impressively illustrate their diverse and positive effects on the regional economy and the labour market."

The parliamentary evening offered the participants the opportunity to enter into a constructive dialogue about the future of Thuringia's higher education landscape and to jointly find ways to further strengthen and promote it.

View complete study

Contact:

Office of the Thuringian Conference of State Presidents

E-Mail:  office@tlpk.de

www.tlpk.de