Germany news roundup: 18-24 September

This week: criticism of the Max Planck Society and fears about “social selection” of students

In depth: Scientific policy advice should be free from political influence and transparent about its methods, according to the German Network for Evidence-Based Medicine.

Full story: Medical network offers lessons for policy advice from Covid-19

Also this week from Research Professional News

Third-party funding per professor rises by 9% in Germany—University professors attracted an average of €326,400 in third-party funding in 2022

Here is the rest of the German news this week…

Max Planck Society setup criticised

The Federal Audit Office has criticised the governance structure of the Max Planck Society. “There is no clear separation of roles between decision-making and supervisory bodies and committees,” the office said in a report. The society’s president is “omnipresent in all bodies, can make so-called urgent decisions alone and has the final vote in the event of a tie,” it said. This setup requires independent supervision, but supervisory functions are taken on by various bodies in which the president is also represented, the office said. “In fact, the president supervises his own actions.” The office said it expects the science ministry to work on amending the society’s statutes to improve the situation. Asked for comment by Research Professional News, the society referred to a previous remark from its president Patrick Cramer that he is “omnipresent, but not omnipotent”.

Postdoctoral AI research funded

The Bavarian science ministry has announced funding for 10 postdoctoral research projects on digitalisation, with a specific focus on artificial intelligence. “The AI talents of today will decisively shape our society of tomorrow. That is why we are supporting 10 excellent postdocs and their AI projects with a total of around €5 million,” said state science minister Markus Blume. From January 2025, the researchers will be accepted into the graduate centre at the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation, part of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Student group warns of ‘social selection’ due to rising rents

The German National Association for Student Affairs has warned that a form of “social selection” of students is taking place, with excessive rent costs determining who is able to undertake higher education. Commenting on an analysis which found that the average rent for a shared room in Germany was €489 per month while student housing aid is €380 per month, association chair Matthias Anbuhl said: “Affordable housing has long since become a central social issue in university towns. We are experiencing a new form of social selection: for many students, the question of whether they can take up studies at a particular university depends on whether they can even afford the rent in that city.”