With the “Diversity Audit East – Strengthening STEM Universities,” the Stifterverband and the Klaus Tschira Foundation are launching a new programme to support East German universities in the strategic development of their activities in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

The programme supports participating institutions in establishing diversity, equal opportunities, inclusion, and belonging within their organisations and in developing a strategy. To this end, the selected universities take part in various consulting formats with an external audit team. They will be included in a network and can exchange ideas both among themselves and with institutions that have already undergone the Diversity Audit.

Application deadline: 28 February 2026

Who: All universities with a focus on STEM subjects in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia that have not yet undergone a diversity audit in this area are eligible to apply.

Process: A jury from the Klaus Tschira Foundation and the Stifterverband will select three universities from among the applications to participate in the 18-month organisational development process. The approval and active support of the application by the university management is required, as well as the creation of structural conditions, for instance by providing at least one part-time position to organise the audit process at the institution.