I would have loved to start this iDiv e.V. update by welcoming of former DFG-iDiv colleagues as new colleagues in the association. Regrettably, the reality is more complex. At the time of writing, we have confirmed job descriptions with all the colleagues whose DFG-funded contracts will end this calendar year. We have also already concluded a significant number of employment contracts, but we have not yet completed this huge task (anyone want to chip in for a spa voucher for Alena Friedrich? 😉).
Many iDiv employees went through a similar process last year, and the scars of that are still rather fresh. It is precisely for that reason that I wanted to use this update to offer my apology to all who have, yet again, had to be patient,yet again trust invisible processes and, yet again, accept outcomes that were not always what we had hoped for. Equally, I want to thank all of you for doing all these things.
As various administrative hurdles made the process of employment in iDiv e.V. extraordinarily difficult, it was not until September this year that we were finally able to start the employment processes in the e.V. – at the point where we had originally hoped to have them completed. You stayed with us through that, and we are deeply grateful.
We will continue what we have built during these 4,639 days since iDiv was officially founded in 2012, and I am very much looking forward to working with you on strengthening iDiv further. So, what have we been doing on that end?
Some of you are closely involved in developing iDiv’s future research strategy through topical committees. Many of you will also have received information regarding iDiv membership and the way in which the e.V. structure requires us to change our approach here.
We have secured permanent Leipzig University contracts for colleagues in infrastructurally critical roles, looking after our research building and the research greenhouse. We are continuing our discussions on administrative processes and future ways of working, and work is already under way to implement the e.V.’s own ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, which will make much of this more efficient.
Many of these developments will become visible to you soon, as we are in the process of updating the website to reflect iDiv’s structures and to position the e.V. more clearly in its role as representative of the iDiv network. Throughout all of this, we have been dealing with a dense web of political, legal, administrative, and strategic questions that are so closely interlinked that it is at times difficult to know where to start.
A key achievement this year has been a joint statement by the Minister Presidents of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony confirming their commitment to iDiv beyond 2030. It is a strong expression of the endorsement iDiv enjoys within the political leadership of these three federal states, and it is remarkable that we secured this even before a formal evaluation of the progress made since the previous declaration in 2019. This is thanks to you.
At the last meeting in October, Professor Obergfell, Rector of the University of Leipzig and Chair of the Board of Trustees, explicitly asked us to pass on the Board’s appreciation for your excellent research achievements and contributions. Your work is seen, appreciated, and valued by us all.
Thank you for having created and built iDiv as a DFG Research Centre and for making it such a success that we now have the opportunity to further develop these foundations for an iDiv that is here to stay. Come and join us for a Pau Hana on 10 December to celebrate the success of the DFG Research Centre and to look ahead to the iDiv e.V. era.