German researchers draw up demands for incoming science minister

In her 16 years as Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel has overhauled German science, transforming it from under-funded and suffering from brain drain, to well-resourced and attractive to both domestic and visiting academics. German government spending on R&D over her tenure rose by €9 billion from 2005 – 2018 and Germany is one of the few EU countries in which combined public and private investment in R&D has reached the European Commission target of 3% of gross domestic product.