About us

Current location of the ASG Central Office: SSC building (© Fabian Stürtz)

The Adenauer School of Government (ASG) will combine cutting-edge research with innovative teaching. The establishment of this central research institution is made possible by an extensive, long-term collaboration with the Alfred Landecker Foundation.

Following the model of government schools in English-speaking countries, the ASG combines cutting-edge, international research with innovative teaching methods and benefits from Cologne's strategic location in the heart of Europe. It will provide decision-makers with an excellent academic education, which is both interdisciplinary and practice-oriented in nature. To this end, the ASG plans to develop modern learning concepts and attract leading scholars from Germany and abroad. In line with these aims, the first appointment procedure has already been initiated.

Parallel to its institutional establishment, the ASG will develop dialogue formats for engaging with society and politics. Through adopting this approach, the ASG aims to generate innovative responses to social, economic, and political challenges in research, teaching, and in relation to the third mission over the coming years. The school's initial budget is ten million euros per year.

The ASG is headed by Axel Ockenfels. The deputy director is Markus Ogorek.

Press release on the founding of the institution

Why "Adenauer" School?

As the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer was one of the architects of post-war European integration, maintaining strong ties with the West. As Mayor of Cologne, he played a key role in re-establishing the University of Cologne.

„Konrad Adenauer hat mit seinem klugen und mutigen Regierungshandeln die Stadt Köln und Deutschland geprägt wie kein Zweiter. Gerade in Zeiten des Umbruchs, wie wir sie aktuell erleben, brauchen wir Forschung und Lehre in Public Policy, Governance und Verwaltungswissenschaften, die über den Tellerrand der einzelnen Disziplin hinausblicken.

Mein großer Dank gilt der Alfred Landecker Foundation, die die besonderen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit erkannt hat und sich mit großem Einsatz für eine exzellente Ausbildung von Führungskräften im öffentlichen Bereich engagiert. Die Adenauer School of Government erfüllt alle Voraussetzungen, ein neues Aushängeschild für den Wissenschaftsstandort Nordrhein-Westfalen zu werden.“

– Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia