German government and Länder adopt research pact

Brussels, 18 Nov 2004

The German federal government and the country's Länder have signed a pact on research and innovation.

The agreement will see the funding allocated to Germany's large research and scientific organisations increase by three per cent annually. The financial security that accompanies the pact will enable the institutions to develop longer term plans for the future.

'With the pact we are making sure that not only more money flows into research organisations, but that the organisations, for their part, are obliged to increase the quality of their research,' said German Minister for Education and Research, Edelgard Bulmahn, following the signature of the pact. In particular, research institutions have been asked to support research excellence, young scientists and women scientists, to increase competition within organisations and to intensify cooperation with non-university research institutes and industry.

By 2005, the Max Planck Gesellschaft, the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, the Helmholtz Gemeinschaft and the Leibniz Gemeinschaft will be receiving around 3.8 billion euro.

'We need this competition in order to bring German universities to the forefront in the international scene,' said Ms Bulmahn. She emphasised that the government's commitment to education, research and competition is firmly entrenched in the budget, and that with the pact, the government 'wishes, together with the Länder, to give a clear signal regarding innovation and a fresh approach in our country.'

CORDIS RTD-NEWS / © European Communities
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