In the latest podcast episode, we hear from someone outside the “Multiple Competition” research group for the first time. Prof. Dr. Julika Griem examines research into the various dimensions of academic competitions and their dynamics from a cultural studies perspective. She reports on her observations of mechanisms of the “sportification” and “festivalization” of the academic system, emphasizes the relevance of systematic comparisons, and—drawing in part on her current research on transition skills at the end of an academic career—discusses the issues of generational justice and the (lack of) transparency of the rules of the game in competitions within the higher education and academic system.

Prof. Dr. Julika Griem is director of Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI Essen) and one of the speakers of the Rhine Ruhr Center for Science Communication Research (RRC), form 2016 to 2023 she has been vice president of the German Research Foundation (DFG)

About the podcast series

At the start of the first funding phase of the DFG Research Group “Multiple Competition in the Higher Education System”, it was clear that the findings of the several research projects should reach an audience beyond a narrow circle of experts. To this end, broader media coverage was also planned as part of the DFG’s funding. The DFG Research Group quickly decided to produce a multi-part podcast series featuring experts following the completion of the research. The experienced science journalist Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda could be recruited as the host. In individual podcast episodes, he speaks with researchers from the DFG research group and other experts on the topic of “multiple competition in the higher education system.” His guests comment on the research findings, contextualize them, and pose further thought-provoking questions about the findings that extend beyond the narrower disciplinary context. Each individual podcast episode is dedicated to a specific topic.

All episodes are available to listen to on the Podigee platform, where you can also subscribe to the series. You can also find them on the DFG research group’s website.