Schalast advised the German University of Digital Science (German UDS) on admission under the Brandenburg Higher Education Act

Schalast advised the German University of Digital Science (German UDS), based in Potsdam, with a team led by Dr. Thorsten Voß and Dr. Matthias Geurts, comprehensively on university, corporate and tax law issues and thus contributed to obtaining state recognition from the state of Brandenburg.

A university for the digital future

The German UDS, founded by computer science professors Mike Friedrichsen and Christoph Meinel and Mike Friedrichsen, is Germany's first fully digital university. With the announcement of state recognition in the first quarter of 2025 by the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture, a decisive milestone has been reached, enabling graduates to obtain officially recognized degrees. This makes it the first state-recognized university in Europe to offer a fully-fledged German university degree exclusively digitally - a first in the German higher education landscape. On April 1, 2025, the German UDS has now started its study operations.

Schalast provided the German UDS with comprehensive support on academic, corporate and tax law issues during the admission process. The advisory team supported the university in all key legal matters, from the establishment of the non-profit sponsoring company and the German UDS Innovation Beteiligungsgesellschaft to the development of tax law concepts and assistance with the recognition procedure.

Dr. Thorsten Voß explains: ‘It was a pleasure for our team at Schalast to accompany German UDS on this important step. Their vision of a modern and practice-oriented education in the digital field corresponds exactly to the requirements of a future-oriented university.’

‘We are delighted to have received state recognition from the state of Brandenburg. The support of the Schalast team was crucial to our success. Thanks to their expertise and commitment, we were able to overcome all the hurdles in the recognition process and we are proud to now be recognised as a state university,’ says Prof. Dr. Mike Friedrichsen, President/CEO of German UDS and Head of the Research Group Advanced Digital Reality.

‘State recognition as a university is an important step that underscores the effectiveness of our model of scientific excellence and technological innovation and sets new standards for digital teaching. We are creating a forward-looking educational platform that combines academic quality with global reach and takes digital education to a new level,’ explains Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel, President/CEO of German UDS and Head of the Research Group: Digital Education and Internet Technology.