'Change we can believe in'

"The door to Germany is wide open. There are many talented young researchers who want to come – we must not disappoint them." These were the words that Professor Matthias Kleiner, the President of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), used to sum up the key message from German experts from science, business and politics at the annual meeting of the German Academic International Network (GAIN) in Boston. This was the eighth time that GAIN, a joint initiative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the DFG, in cooperation with the German Scholars Organization (GSO), had invited young German researchers and scientists currently working in the USA and Canada to spend a weekend exchanging information and ideas.

Numerous representatives from the German scientific and business communities spent three days presenting the opportunities and prospects for a career in Germany to some 200 young researchers and scientists. Among those attending were the President of the DFG and other high-ranking representatives such as the President of the German Rectors' Conference, the President of the University of Potsdam, the Rectors of the universities of Bochum, Karlsruhe and Rostock and the Secretary Generals of the DAAD and the AvH. Three members of the German parliament had also accepted the invitation to attend the meeting and were impressed by the in-depth conversations they had with the talented young delegates, which gave them very worthwhile stimuli for their work in Berlin.

One of the goals of the GAIN meeting is to encourage German researchers and scientists currently working in the USA and Canada to return to Germany. In contrast to the meeting two years ago, where there was a predominating air of scepticism about the opportunities offered by the German science system, last year's meeting in San Francisco was marked by a mood of optimism, primarily due to the Excellence Initiative, the Higher Education Pact and the European Research Council. This year's meeting, which once again returned to the East Coast, was characterised by a realistic discussion of the career opportunities in Germany.

This was accompanied by direct competition for the best minds, with lectures, presentations and exhibits from 19 universities and higher education institutions conveying a diverse impression of the German higher education system and its far-reaching changes. New posts created due to the Excellence Initiative, more flexible funding opportunities, dual-career programmes, and impressive case studies of universities currently undergoing change were just as effective as the examples of cooperation between universities and non-university research institutions. There was great demand for information on the DFG's funding programmes, in particular the Emmy Noether and Heisenberg programmes as well as temporary positions for principal investigators, which are seen by many young researchers as attractive opportunities for returning to Germany.

German business was also in attendance in Boston, with representatives from seven large corporations – presenting what is an appealing alternative to a career in academia for many young researchers and scientists, not only in financial terms.

In spite of criticism of the German higher education and science system – in particular of the continued issues of the financial prospects for young researchers, the time it takes to gain a doctorate and the lack of transparency in the professorial appointment process – optimism prevailed. This was perhaps clearest in the words used by one young scientist in response to the reports about the current changes in the German science landscape, who described it as "change we can believe in".

Further Information:

www.gain-network.org
www.dfg.de/northamerica