Germany is gaining more profile as a location for science

The Federal Government has introduced important steps towards modernizing the German science system with the Excellence Initiative, the Higher Education Pact 2020 and the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation. The science scene has gained considerable profile and Germany has become more attractive as a science nation.

All three measures are to be continued so that the Germany can develop to become one of the world's three best science nations by 2020. The Federal Government and the Länder agreed this target in the context of the Qualification Initiative at the Education Summit in October 2008.

It is the aim of the Federal Government to establish the German institutions of higher education and research institutions as first-rate research centres with international appeal, to make them more attractive for students and researchers from at home and abroad and to establish the best conditions for training young academics. This also means equipping research and teaching with sufficient personnel and adequate infrastructures. Autonomy on questions of decision-making, management and administrative issues is also of great importance. The same applies to strengthening cooperation between science and industry.

The Initiative for Excellence is a new instrument for encouraging top-class university research. 1.9 billion euros are available for the period 2006 to 2011. The first two rounds of funding have selected 39 research schools, 37 excellence clusters and nine future concepts at 37 institutions of higher education in 13 Länder. The positive effects go far beyond the universities which were successful in the contest. Inter alia, new models have been developed for cooperation between universities, research institutions and industry. The Initiative for Excellence has made a decisive contribution towards heightening the profile of the universities and towards establishing research-friendly structures. This is confirmed in a report which the Joint Commission of the German Research Association (DFG) and the Science Council presented in November 2008.

The Federal Government and Länder Pact for Higher Education 2020 sets out to increase the share of people entering higher education to 40% of a year group. The Federal Government is providing 565 million euros so that the universities can admit approximately 91,000 additional students by 2010. Subsequently, the number of first year students is to rise by a further 275,000 up to 2015 - particularly in the so-called MINT subjects (mathematics, engineering, natural sciences and technology). The Pact is already having an effect: Since 2007, the number of persons entering higher education has once again been on the rise. The share in 2008 was 39.3%.

The second pillar of the Pact for Higher Education saw the introduction of a programme for funding one-off payments. Research projects which are funded by the German Research Association (DFG) receive a 20% bonus. This so-called overhead funding - totalling 700 million euros for the period 2007 to 2010 - provides the universities with more financial leeway and thus strengthens research. Furthermore, greater use is made of the potential of top researchers. The Programme for Women Professors for example is intended to create around 200 new positions in the course of the next five years.

The Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation supports the large science and research organizations: the Helmholtz Association (HGF), the Max Planck Society (MPG), the Fraunhofer Society (FhG), the Leibniz Science Association (WGL) and the German Research Association (DFG). The Federal Government and Länder intend to provide the non-university research institutions with planning certainty and to increase funding by at least 3% per year up to 2010. In return, the science and research organizations have committed themselves to improving the quality of their work, their efficiency and their performance in research and teaching. This involves heightening their profile, expanding cooperation with industry, exploring new fields of research as well as supporting up-and-coming young scientists and women in leading positions. The Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation is already showing the first signs of success. It has managed to increase the number of doctoral students in all the science organizations and has prompted the founding of the Helmholtz Management Academy and the introduction of Leibniz-Humboldt professorships.

The Federal Government is setting out to increase Germany's attractiveness in the international competition between science systems and centres of innovation with its "Academic Freedom Act" initiative. The large non-university research institutions are being given additional scope to manage their own financial and personnel means within the framework of a pilot project which is due to run until 2010. At the same time, the basis is being established for the task and result-related control of the research institutions. This must be accompanied by controlling mechanisms which meet the needs of science. The Commission of Experts on Research and Development (EFI) emphasizes the importance of the objective of the initiative in its 2009 report. It recommends strengthening the autonomy of the non-university research institutions still further and granting them responsibility for their own budgets.

source : http://www.hightech-strategie.de/en/273.php