Skip to main content

Talks on German research pact

Minister holds meeting on a plan to boost competition and produce more scientists

Written byNed Stafford
| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00

Germany's education and research minister Edelgard Bulmahn has met privately with the heads of seven leading German research organizations to discuss proposals for what could be a dramatic shakeup of the country's research system.

Bulmahn's proposed “Pact for Research and Innovation” would modernize and improve the nation's scientific research system, Sabine Baun, chief spokesperson at the ministry, told The Scientist. She described the proposed changes as a “revolution.”

The ministry hopes the changes will provide Germany with “more research and more quality” for money spent on research, a goal that has been something of a theme in recent months. In return for signing and adhering to the pact, research institutes would be guaranteed funding increases each year, possibly around 3%, Baun said.

The pact is part of a broader innovation offensive being waged by the ministry, which includes a controversial elite university competition, under which five institutions will be named ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member?
Add The Scientist as a preferred source on Google

Add The Scientist as a preferred Google source to see more of our trusted coverage.

Meet the Author

Related articles background image
August 2026 Digest cover
August 2026

Epic Fail: Sea-Monkeys Sabotage Fieldwork

When Barry Hicks set out to photograph thrombolites, thousands of unexpected visitors photobombed his underwater images.

View this Issue
Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Axion Biosystems
Optimizing NGS Library Preparation for Reliable Sequencing Data

Optimizing NGS Library Preparation for Reliable Sequencing Data

Covaris
Using TCR Repertoire Sequencing to Advance Immunology Research

Using TCR Repertoire Sequencing to Advance Immunology Research

Miltenyi
Mapping Clonal Mosaicism in Aging Tissues

Mapping Clonal Mosaicism in Aging Tissues

Mission bio

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches SuperNuclease ® Pro with Free Trial Program

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches Precisely Characterized Full-Length p-Tau217 Protein to Advance Next-Generation Alzheimer’s Biomarker Assay Development

A photo of a scientist placing the Resipher device on a 96-well plate.

Resipher: Continuous Live-Cell Mitochondrial Respiration Monitoring in 96-Well Plates

Lucid Scientific logo
Conceptual image of ice and frost.

The VAULT100 PRO: Inside the most advanced Stirling Ultracold ULT freezer ever built.

Stirling Ultracold logo