“You can count on our support.“ This statement concluded the visit from two CSU-representatives of the Bavarian State Parliament, Melanie Huml and Heinrich Rudrof, on February 22, 2013, at the National Educational Panel Study in Bamberg. The incorporation of the Institute for Longitudinal Educational Research (INBIL) and the NEPS project (currently affiliated with the University of Bamberg) as part of the Leibniz Association would be extremely important for Bamberg and Upper Franconia.

NEPS Managing Project Director, Prof. Dr. Hans-Günther Roßbach, presented the structure of the study by highlighting its uniqueness on a national and international scale and emphasized that NEPS was designed to examine educational processes and the development of competencies throughout the entire life span. Ultimately, this was only possible because of the close cooperation of an interdisciplinary network of excellence in Germany, coordinated at the University of Bamberg. “We are very proud of the expert knowledge embodied in our network, and also here in Bamberg,” pointed out Dr. Jutta von Maurice, Executive Director of Research. This became particularly apparent during a visit from the German Council for Science and Humanities in December 2012. Both members of the Bavarian State Parliament inquired about this event, and other things, on this occasion. The evaluation of the project can be regarded as an important step on the way towards institutionalization. NEPS staff members felt positive about the course of evaluation. However, the final decision about the establishment of a Leibniz Institute for educational research in Bamberg is still yet to be made. “We hope that this decision will be a positive one for Bamberg,” said Melanie Huml and Heinrich Rudrof, because the study was very important for politics, society, and science. Furthermore, it would strengthen Bamberg and Upper Franconia as a center of research.