Why it matters: A new “grand coalition” is set to debut in the Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament. Led by Friedrich Merz, the incoming government plans to boost spending on science and technology – while extending a not-so-subtle invitation for ostracized US researchers to relocate and continue their work in Europe.
Germany’s three largest political parties have agreed to form a new government, uniting the center-right Christian Democrats and Christian Social Union with the center-left Social Democrats. While grand coalitions are nothing new, the incoming mix of ideologies includes some notably ambitious proposals for science and technology policymaking.
The 144-page agreement – expected to win formal approval from all three parties in the coming weeks – outlines plans for a new “super-high-tech ministry” to oversee research, technology, and aerospace. The plan calls for splitting the current Ministry of Research and Education, transferring research responsibilities to the new ministry, and assigning education to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth.
Volkswagen Foundation CEO Georg Schütte called the plan a smart “realignment” of portfolios that naturally belong together. He argued that research is deeply tied to technology and aerospace, while splitting science from education mirrors a similar division within the Council of the European Union – one of the bloc’s two central legislative bodies, alongside the European Parliament.
The grand coalition led by CDU leader Friedrich Merz is betting big on a scientific revival in Germany. The new super-ministry will target specific research and technology priorities, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, microchip development and manufacturing, and fusion energy. The plan calls for Germany to pursue an ambitious goal: building the world’s first operational fusion reactor.
Germany has not yet assigned a budget to the proposed super-high-tech ministry, but the coalition agreement outlines a clear funding trajectory. It pledges to raise annual support for the country’s major research organizations by 3 percent annually through 2030.
The grand coalition agreement also includes plans to empower “scientific freedom,” with funding decisions tied to strictly science-driven criteria and nothing more. Oncologist and researcher Eva Winkler said this goal should be a no-brainer. However, the current polarization coming from the US is putting even the most ordinary principles to the test.
Germany may soon become a destination for researchers leaving the United States, where unprecedented budget cuts under the second Trump administration have forced even NOAA scientists to clean toilets. The new European government is preparing an initiative called “1000 Minds,” to make Germany more attractive to science and research professionals. Creating a smoother path to recruit valuable US and international talent could be the right move to reach that goal, Winkler suggests.
