Academics lament proposed budget cuts

The presidents of Germany’s four large non-university science organisations have criticised planned cuts to the research ministry’s budget in an open letter.

The cuts, pegged at around half a billion euros by 2020, were put forward by Germany’s minister of finance Olaf Scholz last month. In their letter, published on 27 March, the organisations described the proposal as a “fatal signal”.

Such a “massive reduction in financial resources endangers Germany as a science and business location”, said presidents Matthias Kleiner (Leibniz Association), Reimund Neugebauer (Fraunhofer Society), Martin Stratmann (Max Planck Society) and Otmar Wiestler (Helmholtz Association).