The chairman of the Bundestag's Research Committee, Karl Lauterbach (SPD), has sharply condemned the US government's attacks on the elite university Harvard.

"I have great sympathy for the foreign Harvard students. For them, the news from the US government that they are no longer welcome there is a catastrophe," the Harvard graduate and visiting professor at the elite US university told the "Rheinische Post" (Saturday). "I very much hope that US President Donald Trump's decision can still be averted. But even if that is possible, the attack on free teaching and research sends a deterrent signal," he warned.

"Harvard students are among the best in the world; they can conduct research anywhere. The Trump administration's attacks on the elite Harvard University are research-political suicide," Lauterbach said. "When the most important and most powerful universities are deliberately weakened, the axe is being laid to one of the most important pillars of the American economy. Countless companies in the USA benefit from the knowledge brought by Harvard graduates. Many foreign Harvard graduates remain in the USA after graduation," said the former health minister. "For us in Germany, this is an opportunity to invite foreign researchers from the USA to join us. We also offer excellent opportunities and prospects after graduation," said the committee chairman. "However, the federal government must invest significantly more resources in the 70 German Clusters of Excellence in the future. The research funding we have offered so far is hardly competitive by international standards," warned SPD politician Lauterbach.