Research Projects : Germany

. In 1997 the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology and the Federal Ministry of Economics will invest approximately DM 600 million in research projects by small and medium-sized companies. This will enable the latter to improve their production methods and further joint research within the framework of industrial cooperation in the area of research. These firms are also being helped as regards the technology transfer in order to accelerate the practical application of research findings. Small and medium-sized companies can obtain information about the latest technological developments - concerning the use of computers for production purposes, for example, or the establishment of new organizational structures - in “demonstration centers” or within the framework of the initiative “Technologically Oriented Tour and Information Programs” (company tour programs).

Industrial research and development in the new states has had to undergo an extensive restructuring process. The Federal Government has supported the process through special measures tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized companies; these focus on the hiring and retention of personnel engaged in research and development, the development of new products and procedures, support for cooperation in the area of research, support for reorganized and newly founded institutions for research and development, and creation of an infrastructure for the transfer of technology.