October 06, 2004 | News

Opening of the Joint Research Center for the Study of Demographic Change

The University of Rostock and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock (MPIDR) have celebrated on October 1, 2004 the opening of the Rostock Center for the Study of the Causes and Consequences of Demographic Change.

The scientists of the Center will engage in interdisciplinary collaborative research on the causes and consequences of demographic change, and focus in particular on its impact on society and politics. The research results are to feed into the socio-political discourse as well as provide decision-makers in politics, economics, and society with knowledge-based information. The Center combines scientists and students from about a dozen of study branches, among others sociology, demography, political science, economics, population geography, anthropology, mathematics, and statistics.

Prof. Hans Jürgen Wendel, Rector of Rostock University:
"The Center's combination of research and teaching is remarkable."

Prof. Hans-Robert Metelmann, Minister of Education of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern:
"The Rostock Center is an important step in establishing a distinguished, capable, and strongly collaborative science community of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern."

Dr. Barbara Bludau, General Secretary of the Max Planck Society:
"Demographic Change can be regarded a permanent research focus of the Max Planck Society. The topic is so complex, that only an interdisciplinary approach will do to tackle it. Rostock serves as a good start point in Germany and worldwide for the wide spectrum of interdisciplinary demographic research."

Prof. Thusnelda Tivig, the female Director of the Rostock Center and Pro-Rector of Rostock University:
"The new, three-staged study concept in the social sciences and in particular the structured doctoral programs are likely to have a German-wide attraction."

Prof. James Vaupel, Director of the Rostock Center and Founding Director of the MPIDR:
"Demographic change will determine political action in Germany for many decades to come. All political realms are in need of radical changes: the health system, the labor market, the pension system, the housing market, suffice it to mention but a few major areas that will be fundamentally impacted by changes in the population structure."

Background music by the Rostock Duo Penelope and Andreas Gomoll.