Comparative Study on the Relation between Public Policy and Academic Research System

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1. In the Federal Republic of Germany, as a highly developed indusutrial country, improvement the quality of university research is one of the important political issues.2. The system of research is complex. In the federal structure, the states have primary responsibility for higher education and academic research. The federal government has the right to enact the general principles underlying the university system, and support jointly the state governments the construction and extension of universities, planning and assistance for research facilities and projects of national importance. In addition, universities have the freedom of research. So federal and state governments are indirectly linked with universities by promoting their research.3. Universities continue to be a sphere of fundamental research. But in recent years, institutes of the Max Planck Society, institutes of Fraunhofer Society and 13 national research centres play important role in fundamental and applied research. U … More niversities are required to compete and cooperate with these institutes.4. Universities receive general funds for research from states. And universities receive substantial 'third-party' funds in the form of research grants or contracts from the German Research Society (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). DFG is a central organization for the promotion of science in the Federal Republic of Germany. Most funds of DFG are provided by federal and state governments.5. DFG provide its grants to universities mainly by the following three types of support : a) Individual Grants Program ; the promotion of research projects requested on the initiative of the individual researchers and these projects are financed for a period of one to two years, b) Priority Programs ; the financing and coordination of the work of several researchers at different places on a certain topic for a period of up to five years, c) Collaborative Research Centers ; these are long-term (12-15 years) research institutions of universities where scientists of various disciplines cooperate in the framework of a research program affecting inter-relating fields.6. For the restructuring higher education and research in former East Germany, working groups of the German Research Society examine the organization of the institutes of the former Academy of Science and universities. Less