The German Rectors' Conference (HRK)
The universities are the core of the German science system. They spend more then eleven billion Euros yearly on research and development; 1.2 billion of which come from industry.
The German Rectors’ Conference/Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (HRK) is the voluntary association of state and state-recognised universities in Germany. It currently has 268 member institutions at which more than 94 per cent of all students in Germany are registered.
The HRK is the political and public voice of the universities and is the forum for the higher education institutions’ joint opinion-forming process. The HRK addresses all topics relating to the responsibilities of higher education institutions: Research, teaching, studies, advanced continuing education and training, knowledge and technology transfer, international cooperation, and self-administration issues.
The HRK represents the interests of its member institutions also at an international level. In the framework of its international strategy, it provides advice and support to German universities in their internationalisation process.