Fuente : German Federal Gouvernment
http://www.bundesregierung.de/

German government seeking to create a climate of innovation

/noticias.info/ - A newly published report shows a larger volume of public and private funds being spent on research, university enrollment on the rise, and major progress being made in high-tech sectors.


Speaking at the presentation of a national research report after its approval by the cabinet on May 5, Research Minister Edelgard Bulmahn said the government has strengthened the country's growth potential and created jobs by expanding investments in research and development. The report would seem to indicate that the government is succeeding in its effort to create a climate of innovation.



Increased spending on research and development

In the period from 1998 to 2003 government spending on research and development rose by a billion euros to a current level of around nine billion annually -despite enormous pressure for budget consolidation.

This marks a reversal of the trend followed by the previous government to reduce spending on research. The negative effects of that past policy are still being felt, Bulmahn indicated.

In 1998 the Schröder government recognized the need to prioritize research and development and decided to take decisive action. "In recent years we have erected the pillars on which we can, and must, build a bridge to the future," Bulmahn said.


Target: three percent of GDP for R&D

Research funding in the private sector has grown by 25 percent over the same period. Last year government and industry together spent 53 billion euros on research. This amounts to a per capita expenditure of 600 euros or 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), compared to 2.31 percent in 1998.

The objective is to invest 3 percent of GDP in research and development by the year 2010. "We will continue to pursue this objective steadfastly," Bulmahn stressed.

Foreign companies have shown growing confidence in Germany as a place for research. Since 1997 there has been a 50 percent rise in the number of researchers employed by foreign subsidiaries to a current level of 73,000. With research funding being provided by these companies at 11.5 billion euros, innovation potentials are increasing at a more rapid rate than production capacities.

The eastern states and Berlin have received a disproportionately large amount of government research funding in recent years in per capita terms. In 1998 just under 1.7 billion euros (23.3 percent) went there; in 2003 it was more than 2 billion (around 25 percent). Dresden is already being touted as the Silicon Valley of Europe.


Creating a climate of innovation

Bulmahn noted that innovation is not just a question of money and that progress can't be made without appropriate structures to develop existing potentials.

Over the past four years the current government has addressed more structural reforms than any government before it. They include:

the transitioning of national research centers from institutional to program-oriented and competitive financing,

the introduction of performance-based pay for university professors and

the introduction of junior professorships, which make it possible for young academics to start teaching and doing independent research at the age of 30 instead of having to wait until they are 40.

The government is preparing the way for the future with a variety of initiatives:

the High-Tech Masterplan is aimed at promoting innovative SMEs,

the Masterplan Information Society Germany 2006 is intended to ensure that Germany will be able to maintain its leading position in the information and communications technologies,

the Pact for Research and Innovation is to create planning security for research organizations;

a joint federal and state government program is promoting competition among universities.

University enrollment growing as a result of increased investment


University enrollment has increased

The government is investing successfully in education. University enrollment has risen from 27.7 percent in 1998 to 35.7 percent in 2002. At present more than two million young people are registered at universities, more than ever before in German history.
The introduction of junior professorships means that young researchers can conduct independent research at a much earlier age than was possible in the past. The government is providing an additional 250 million euros annually for top universities. It is also investing additional money in the school system under a four billion euro program for the development of all-day schools.

The government wants to eliminate the home ownership allowance, a subsidy no longer needed, given the current housing market, and to invest that money in education and research.

Bulmahn noted that innovation must have priority over subsidies and that the government will be introducing legislation to this effect in the coming weeks.

Background:A national research report is compiled once every four years at the request of parliament and provides a comprehensive overview of research funding. The 2004 report for the first time contains information on Germany's technological competitiveness.

06/05/2004 notas_de_prensa_archivo