How Germany retains one of the world’s strongest research reputations

Hristio Boytchev

doi:10.1038/d41586-020-03318-w

Abstract

Thanks to steady funding, Germany’s national research organizations are thriving. But there are concerns that some universities are being left behind. Thanks to steady funding, Germany’s national research organizations are thriving. But there are concerns that some universities are being left behind.

Highlights

Moved from Sweden, where she conducted her breakthrough work, to Germany in 2013, where she was initially based at the Helmholtz Association before moving to Max Planck
Germany has shown very strong performance in traditional fields such as chemistry and the physical sciences, as well as newer ones such as sustainability science. It is the third most prolific country in the Nature Index after the United States and China for research output in the 82 high-quality natural-sciences journals tracked by the index
Issues such as gender and generational equality need to be addressed, or the country is at risk in falling behind in multidisciplinary, future-oriented fields

Summary

Introduction

Moved from Sweden, where she conducted her breakthrough work, to Germany in 2013, where she was initially based at the Helmholtz Association before moving to Max Planck. Germany has shown very strong performance in traditional fields such as chemistry and the physical sciences, as well as newer ones such as sustainability science. It is the third most prolific country in the Nature Index after the United States and China for research output in the 82 high-quality natural-sciences journals tracked by the index.

Results

Conclusion