Over a year ago, on September 18th, 2024, the Leibniz PhD Network sent an open letter to the Leibniz Association titled “Call to Strengthen the Leibniz Association’s Commitment to Prevent Power Abuse and Foster a Culture of Respect.”
The letter outlined concrete, constructive measures to acknowledge and prevent power abuse, improve supervision, and ensure a fair, respectful working environment for all researchers within the Leibniz Association.
Despite our repeated attempts to initiate collaboration, the Leibniz Association has not engaged meaningfully on this topic yet. Following our submission, we were invited to a single discussion with the Secretary General on October 29th, 2024, and offered participation in a working group that unfortunately never materialized.
As representatives of the doctoral researchers, we express our deep disappointment in the lack of response and progress.
Power abuse remains a pressing issue in academia, and proactive measures are essential to safeguard fairness, respect, and integrity in our research environment.
We are publishing this letter today to reaffirm our stance and call again for open, constructive dialogue and collaboration to address these systemic challenges.
Our message remains clear: respect, fairness, and accountability are not optional— they are the foundation of good science.
We remain convinced that, together with the Leibniz Association, we can be pioneers in addressing the misuse of power in sciences. Together, we can embark on this important journey and shape a future in which the structures in academia no longer favour mechanisms of power abuse.