“It is something that most European countries envy,” said Prof. Dr. Dr. habil. Godehard Ruppert, President of the University of Bamberg, in his opening address about the uniqueness of NEPS for the region, the Federal State, and beyond. District President and Chairperson of the Foundation Council, Wilhelm Wenning, agreed with him, praised the success of NEPS, and pledged the Oberfrankenstiftung’s support of the association LIfBi e.V. that was founded this past May and will enforce NEPS as a non-university research institute in 2014. Wilhelm Wenning also took the opportunity to congratulate District Assembly President Dr. Günther Denzler for receiving the Bavarian Order of Merit.

The members of the Foundation Council and of the branch office of the Oberfrankenstiftung found Prof. Dr. Hans-Günther Roßbach's remarks about the project very interesting and their questions were then subsequently answered. Dr. Jutta von Maurice especially emphasized the importance of the transfer of results into both practice and politics; the first results from NEPS data are already going to be implemented into the National Report on Education in 2014. At the same time, close contacts over and beyond the NEPS school surveys exist with the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs as well as the Ministries of Social Affairs and of Research.