State Minister for Science and the Arts

Prof. Dr. Dr. Sabine Freifrau von Schorlemer

Prof. Dr. Dr. Sabine Freifrau von Schorlemer
(© ddp, fotolia, Frank Grätz)

Short CV

Prof. Dr. jur. habil. Dr. rer. pol. habil. Sabine Freifrau von Schorlemer, who is an evangelical Lutheran, was appointed on 30th September 2009 as the Saxon State Minister for Science and the Arts. Prof. von Schorlemer taught at the universities of Geneva, Lausanne and Basel, and held the chair in International Law, EU Law and International Relations between 2000 and September 2009, and was International Program Coordinator at the TU Dresden.

State Minister von Schorleimer was born on 11th March 1959 and grew up in Munich. She studied law and political science as well as the history of art in Berlin, Lausanne (Switzerland), Munich and Hamburg, graduating (summa cum laude) in 1992 with a thesis on international protection of cultural heritage. She qualified as a university lecturer in 1997 on the liberalisation of telecommunications under international trade law. Her list of publications has more than 100 entries (books and articles). As a proven expert in international affairs, she was a member of the German government delegation in international treaty negotiations on cultural diversity in 2004/2005 and she has been involved in international expert groups and foundations for many years. Prof. von Schorlemer is also a member of the board of trustees and patron of the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max-Planck-Institut für Kunstgeschichte (institute for history of art) in Rome. State Minister von Schorlemer is an elected member of the German UNESCO Commission and was for many years a consultant to the German Foreign Office on United Nations policy. In spring 2009, she was able to attract the world’s first UNESCO professorship in international relations to the Technical University of Dresden. Prof. Dr. Dr. von Schorlemer has three children and lives with her family in Leipzig.

Duties

The duties of the Saxon State Ministry for Science and the Arts (German abbreviation SMWK) include the promotion of research and teaching in further education establishments (universities, technical and arts colleges, professional academies), the support of non-university research (e.g. the Max-Planck, Helmholtz, Leibniz and Fraunhofer institutes) and the promotion of technology. In October 2009, responsibility for the promotion of technology was transferred from the Ministry for Economic Affairs to the Science Ministry. This enables the Free State to provide concentrated support for innovation from a single source. The SMWK is further responsible for the support of art and culture (museums, libraries, theatres, orchestras). The ministry represents Saxon interests in the Science Council, Joint Science Conference, Conference of Ministers of Education and other bodies.

Political Priorities

Saxony has enormous potential both in the cultural sphere and in the field of higher education, science and technology. In the past decades, a solid basis was created; the task is now to build upon it. The objective is to broaden Saxony’s strengths, support excellence and innovation and also to encourage creative work. In these times of limited resources, the task that I am taking on is a major challenge.