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The federal government wants to support research institutions and universities in the energy crisis
Photo: Bernd Wüstneck/ dpa
The federal government would like to support non-university research institutions in the energy crisis with a "hardship fund" of 500 million euros.
This emerges from a response from State Secretary Jens Brandenburg (FDP) to a small question from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
In addition, “all science and research institutions, including universities, university clinics and student unions, should benefit from the gas and electricity price brake and in particular from the emergency aid for gas and heat”.
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The reason for the request was a statement by Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) at the end of October.
She had called for a "rescue package for cutting-edge research."
The federal government has now agreed on a "key issues paper" that outlines various aid and relief measures, the ministry writes in its reply.
"With this help," it continues, "according to the Federal Government's assessment, the maintenance of regulated research operations at the scientific institutions is secured." The federal states could supplement the relief package with further measures.
Concerns about young scientists
In their request, the CDU MPs also explicitly asked for support for young scientists whose employment contracts are often linked to research projects and are limited in time.
Behind this is the concern that in a crisis situation, the first cuts could be made to young scientists.
However, State Secretary Jens Brandenburg did not address this in his answer.
The ministry "deliberately does not express concern that posts for doctoral students could be massively cut," comments Thomas Jarzombek, research policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group.
"It must not happen that doctoral projects and positions are massively reduced as a result of a failed crisis policy and young scientists are seen as the losers of these measures."
Most recently, the FDP-led ministry was repeatedly criticized for approving research projects that had already been verbally promised later than planned or not at all.
Universities get more than one billion euros
In total, as Brandenburg calculates in an answer to a second CDU/CSU request, the aid for non-university research institutions amounts to up to 760 million euros.
In addition to the 500 million euros for the hardship fund, this sum includes 10 million euros in emergency aid, 150 million euros for the electricity price brake and 100 million euros for a gas/heat brake.
The universities are to receive a total of up to 1.09 billion euros, almost two-thirds of which is attributable to the gas price brake, and up to 120 million euros are planned for emergency aid.
The student unions are to receive up to 150 million euros.
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