SAPanoptikum March 2017

HPI chief criticizes US entry ban

Prof. Christoph Meinel, Scientific Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), believes that the entry ban imposed by the US President puts research collaboration at risk.

HPI researchers are also affected by this controversial measure. For example, a doctoral student who has been researching in Germany for many years is not allowed to travel to the USA and take part in the annual HPI Stanford Design Thinking Research Workshop.

"We at HPI are proud of our long-standing collaboration with Stanford University"

says HPI Institute Director Professor Christoph Meinel.

The relationships are close and many research colleagues are in regular contact. It is therefore particularly painful that esteemed members of the research team are now being denied entry to the USA.

"The ban on citizens from seven Muslim countries entering the US is a major blow to international research programs and cooperation"

says Meinel.

Science thrives on openness to the world. The decree directly affects a doctoral student at HPI who has been in close contact with the USA for years and had planned a one-month research stay in February 2017.

Despite having a valid visa, she will now not be able to accept the invitation from Stanford University. The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) and Stanford University have steadily intensified their collaboration over the past ten years.