Germany's Ministry for Education and Research to Get 7.85% Rise for 2008. (August 7,2007)

    Physical chemist and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has brought down the 2008 budget calling for a funding increase of 7.85% for the Ministry for Education and Research.

According to the ministry's website:

The declared goal of the current government is that 3% of the German gross domestic product (GDP) should be invested in research and development. The Federal Government is doing its part to achieve this: with a total volume of 9.187 billion euros in 2008, the BMBF's budget will increase by 670 million euros compared to 2007, an increase by 7.85 percent. The additional funds will mainly be spent on research.

This increase means that the BMBF can set new thematic priorities:

• Within the framework of the High-Tech Strategy for Climate Protection, over 336 million euros are available for climate, ecological and energy research. This is an increase by 47.2 million euros (or 16%) compared to 2007. The key areas of funding will be environmental technologies and the initiative "Research on Climate Change", an energy research programme that focuses on basic research.

• In 2008, over 400 million euros will be available for life sciences, with special emphasis on pharmaceutical research and medical technology - 46 million euros (or 13%) more than in 2007.

• According to the draft, 76 million euros will be available in 2008 for new instruments for knowledge and technology transfer, including the Research Bonus, the top-class cluster competition, and the planned Research Bonus II for non-profit research institutions. This amount will increase to 120 million euros by 2011.

The Max Planck Society, which runs 80 basic-research institutes, and the DFG, Germany's main grant-giving agency, will each see a 3% rise in their budgets."

The increase would raise Germany's science spending to 2.7% of its gross domestic product, close to the 2010 goal of 3% proclaimed by the European Commission for the EU.

The parliamentary vote is expected in November.