Five Bavarian universities unite forces for peace and security

Five Bavarian universities unite forces for peace and security

The opening event of the Bavarian Science Alliance for Peace, Conflict and Security Research (FoKS) took place on February 13th and 14th, 2025 at the Munich University of Philosophy. Five Bavarian universities founded this alliance to establish a strong scientific platform. 55 of 80 fellows took part in the event, who exchanged views on key research topics and possible interdisciplinary collaborations. The partner universities include the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, the universities of Bayreuth and Regensburg, the FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and the University of Philosophy.

The University of the Bundeswehr Munich (UniBw M), which has been a member of the alliance since 2024, played a significant role. Professor Eva-Maria Kern from UniBw M was elected deputy chairwoman of FoKS. Professor Stephan Stetter, also from UniBw M, was on the scientific steering committee and cluster lead for “War and Peace”. Another representative of UniBw M, Professor Christina Binder, headed the research area “International Law and Human Rights”.

Events as part of the Munich Security Conference

An alliance side event took place on February 13th during the Munich Security Conference (MSC). It was titled “Pushing the Frontier: Assessing the Opportunities and Risks of AI for Peace and War” and was moderated by Professor Stetter. Bavaria's Science Minister Markus Blume gave a welcoming speech at this side event, which underlined the importance of the alliance.

The context of the Munich Security Conference is being intensively discussed in the media. Various newspapers report on the West's current uncertainty regarding geopolitical tensions, particularly Russia's psychological warfare. At the conference, Chancellor Scholz emphasized the need for security, stating: “Without security, everything else is nothing.”

Interdisciplinary research and future projects

The FoKS has set itself the goal of intensifying its work in the coming months and initiating new interdisciplinary research projects. The participating universities would like to make a contribution to resolving global conflicts and improving security research. The interaction of the various disciplines should open up new perspectives, especially in times of complex challenges such as the Middle East conflict.

The central research center for international relations, peace and conflict research is the University of Tübingen, which has been active in this area since the 1970s. Important representatives such as Professor Thomas Diez and Professor Andreas Hasenclever contribute to this research and are contact persons for current research projects and publications.

While the Bavarian Science Alliance pursues its goals, the international community remains called upon to find common solutions to address global security challenges. The current discussions and cooperation within the alliance could play a key role in this.

The Bavarians not only benefit from the scientific findings, but could also play an active role in solving pressing international problems.

For further information, those interested can visit the website UniBw M, Deutschlandfunk and University of Tübingen visit.