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The Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation aims to improve the competitiveness of German research. The Federal Government, the federal states (Länder) and German research organisations committed themselves to this goal in 2005.

Goals

• Promotion of outstanding research achievement and the best minds
• Openness for unconventional approaches
• Strengthening of cooperation and networking – between disciplines, between countries and between science and industry
• Promotion of young research talent
• Realisation of equal opportunities between the genders

Ensuring ongoing growth

In order to achieve these goals, the Federal Government and the Länder initially decided to support German research and research funding organisations with at least 3% additional annual funding until 2010. The commitment made in summer 2009 to continue the programme also entailed a further raising of budgets by at least 5% in the years from 2011 to 2015. That provides planning security and offers a margin for new initiatives and dynamic development.

Strategic research promotion

The Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation provides security and freedom to the following organisations, which are jointly funded by the Federal Government and the Länder:

• German Research Foundation
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
• Helmholtz Association
• Leibniz Community
• Max Planck Society

For their part, the science and research organisations have made a commitment to increase their quality, efficiency and performance within the framework of the initiative. They present their results in annual reports.

Background

Innovation and research are playing an increasingly greater role, especially within the European context. In the year 2000, in Lisbon, the European Council decided to develop Europe into one of the world’s most productive knowledge-based economic regions. This entails raising investment in research and development in all member states to at least 3% of gross domestic product. The Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation is one element of the German contribution towards achieving this strategic and financial goal.