Update on Germany's Upgrading of its Research Universities. (June 11, 2004)

    Last February TFW reported that Germany was set to allocate A$2 billion to upgrade five of its research universities. The proposed initiative came on the heels of the head of Germany's state bank's proposal (yet to be acted upon) to sell off about 15% of its gold reserves to set up a fund to earn some €250 million per annum to up support for German research and innovation. The plan to differentially upgrade Germany's research universities caused anxiety which like Australia has tended toward a "one size fits all" egalitarianism in resourcing higher education.

     The journal Science in today's issue reports that now the German government has promised to "spend US$2.3 [A$3.3] billion  over the next 6 years to both create a German Ivy League and broadly strengthen academic research." After discussions with the German state governments, Science and Education Minister Edelgard Bulmahn  last week announced a compromise to her initial plan. Ten universities are to be designated as elite institutions each to get A$43 million a year for 5 years. In addition up to "40 graduate schools and 30 centres of excellence will share an [A$310] million annual pot."

    While the plan still awaits approval of a commission of federal and state government representatives before the initial implementation early next year, the federal opposition has already claimed funding is inadequate.