Lessons learned in Germany

T he collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 marked the beginning of a global financial crisis that has since affected the world economy and nations’ finances. Even major economies such as the USA or Japan have been struggling with the aftermath of the events that started in 2008 while many European countries still suffer from high unemployment, recession and strained budgets. The crisis has also had a major impact on science as governments are forced to cut down on their investment into research and education. A few countries have escaped this predicament, however, and managed to maintain or even increase their investment into research, notably Germany as a major economy. In the past 10 years, Germany has invested heavily in its science system—and that was sorely needed. At the turn of the millennium, Germany’s research system was not in the best state: Universities were chronically underfunded and brain drain depleted the country of young talent. “Policymakers recognized that something clearly had to be done. A political consensus was found that crossed party lines and was agreed on by the federal and the state governments”, said Peter Gruss, former President of the Max Planck Society from 2002 to 2014. The red–green coalition government under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder initiated crucial reforms about financing Germany’s research sector, realizing that knowledge and innovation fuel economic growth and are key elements to global competitiveness—especially in a country with few natural resources. The governments under Angela Merkel, who became chancellor after Schröder’s defeat in 2005, have largely implemented these reforms. Yet, some of the measures are scheduled to run out and German politicians and scientists debate on how to continue the success of the past decade. ...................................................... “At the turn of the millennium, Germany’s research system was not in the best state: universities were chronically underfunded and brain drain depleted the country of young talent” ......................................................