Germany Announces Continued Increases to Research Funding

State and federal ministers say they will pump up science budgets by 3 percent per year for the next decade, as they have done since 2006.

Written byJef Akst

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German research organizations, such as the Max Planck Society, as well as universities and technical schools in the country will enjoy a steady climb in their budgets over the next 10 years, according to an announcement from state and federal ministers last week (May 3). Specifically, funding for science will continue to increase by 3 percent per year, as it has since 2006, Science reports.

“It’s a huge relief,” Matthias Kleiner, president of the country’s Leibniz Association, which includes more than 90 research institutes, tells Science. “[It’s] an extraordinarily positive and encouraging signal for science.” The funding agreement also includes approval for two new Max Planck institutes and two new institutes under the Leibniz Association umbrella.

Although German research funding has been on the rise for over a decade, economic troubles in the country had some concerned the glory days would soon come to an end. ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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