OVER 130 people died trying to crawl under it, smash through it or fly over it. Today, 20 years after the Berlin wall crumbled, a few isolated remains stand as a reminder of how far German integration has come. The decades following the second world war left German science in a sorry state. 鈥淲e had lost our international standing,鈥� says , professor of computational linguistics at the University of Saarland in Saarbr眉cken. 鈥淕erman scientists would first need to travel to America or the UK to cut their teeth.鈥�
Now, in a reunified Germany, a range of initiatives, investments and incentives has breathed new life into science. The European Innovation Scoreboard shows Germany to be an 鈥渋nnovation leader鈥�, and the fastest improving country. 鈥淣ow we are a world player once more,鈥� says Pinkal.
What鈥檚 more, Germany and its scientific institutions are welcoming foreign researchers. So what鈥檚 the best way in?
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The adventure starts here
Perhaps the most straightforward way to get a taste of German science is via the European Commission鈥檚 scheme. This exchange programme offers students and faculty a glimpse into German life without having to commit to a full three years鈥� study. With 9 out of 10 higher-education institutions signed up, there鈥檚 plenty of choice. What鈥檚 more, it鈥檚 simple to hop aboard. 鈥淚 found the process very easy. All the application forms I needed were available to download,鈥� says Amy Johnson, an Erasmus student at the University of Freiburg in Baden-W眉rttemberg.
Students from the UK who want to participate are likely to find themselves in a favourable position, according to Stefan Lauterbach, director of international affairs at the University of Saarland. 鈥淓rasmus works on the basis of reciprocity,鈥� he explains. 鈥淢ore German students want to study in the UK than vice versa, so when a UK student wants to come here, it is no problem.鈥�
Those wishing to take the next step and do all their studying in Germany should apply directly through the international office of their chosen university. For regular bachelor-level courses, fluency in German is an absolute must and prospective students have to provide proof of their language skills by passing one of the official exams 鈥� either the or the . This is not, however, needed if you choose to study on one of the increasingly popular international degree programmes. 鈥淭he majority are in science and engineering and taught completely in English,鈥� says Andreas Hoeschen, director of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) UK office, which looks after incoming UK scientists from BSc to postdoc level. 鈥淭he international programmes are designed to attract highly qualified young researchers from around the world, thereby internationalising the German university system,鈥� he says.
One of the driving forces behind the desire to internationalise is the global dominance of English. 鈥淓nglish is the language of science,鈥� says Beverley Tkalcec, a geosciences student from the UK now studying for a master鈥檚 at the University of Frankfurt. 鈥淚鈥檓 fluent in German, but if I intend to publish then I must write in English.鈥�
For some visiting students, the kudos attached to English can have its downside, however. 鈥淚 chose Germany not only for the research excellence but to learn another language,鈥� says Ed Crossland, a postdoc physicist at the University of Freiburg. Yet at work he found precious little opportunity to develop his language skills. 鈥淭he totality of English speaking, and the enthusiasm of my colleagues to practise it on me, meant I ended up taking a German evening course,鈥� he says.
聯I chose Germany not only for research excellence but to learn another language聰
For potential PhD students there are two routes to choose from when applying for a place: the 鈥渁pprentice model鈥�, where you find a supervisor to agree to take you under their wing, or one of the structured PhDs available at some universities. As befits a country that has produced a plethora of Nobel laureates and is home to several world-class universities, German PhDs are rigorous and internationally respected. The clincher for many students is that you get top-class teaching without the tuition fees.
For more established academics and researchers seeking a way into Germany, the first port of call is the (AVHF). Here you can find guidance on funding and fellowships 鈥� and more besides. 鈥淣ot only is the AVHF funding a project, but more importantly investing in the person,鈥� says Georg Scholl, head of communications. 鈥淥nce a Humboldtian, always a Humboldtian.鈥�
Those already established in Germany can seek funding through a range of German-centric bodies, by far the largest and most influential of which is the (DFG). With an annual budget of approximately 鈧�2 billion, it runs a range of funding programmes. Its most important scheme is without doubt the Excellence Initiative, designed to reward institutions for supporting young scientists and conducting high-level innovative research, to which it has committed 鈧�1.9 billion over five years. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of money for science in Germany right now,鈥� says Priya Bondre-Beil, DFG鈥檚 programme director of international affairs.
Much of that money goes to Germany鈥檚 most prolific institutions, including the , the Helmholtz Association and the Fraunhofer institutes. There are also a growing number of partnerships between research institutes. One of these is the : it brings together DESY 鈥� the German Electron Synchrotron in Hamburg, which is Germany鈥檚 biggest particle physics research centre 鈥� the Max Planck Institute of Particle Physics, and 18 German universities. The alliance 鈥減romotes communication and sharing of resources be it experience, intellectual or computation鈥�, notes Tim Namsoo, a British physicist at DESY.
This symbiosis hasn鈥檛 gone unnoticed by big industrial players such as Intel, which recently instigated a partnership with the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and the University of Saarland to create the Intel Visual Computing Institute. 鈥淲e could have put our research and development site anywhere in the world,鈥� says Justin Rattner, Intel鈥檚 chief technical officer. 鈥淲e chose Germany.鈥� Intel is not alone in seeing the country as a prime location for companies looking to collaborate with academic researchers. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had about 60 industrial collaborations with major firms in Germany such as , Carl Zeiss and Bayer,鈥� says Christina Beck, head of communications at the Max Planck Society.
After hours
No matter where in Germany you find yourself, there is plenty to do apart from studying. Cities like Munich and Berlin have all the benefits of metropolitan life. If rural pursuits such as hiking and skiing are your thing, a university or institute in one of the smaller towns such as G枚ttingen or Freiburg may suit you better. Germany borders no fewer than nine countries, and the UK is around an hour鈥檚 flying time away.
When it comes to living costs, in Germany as elsewhere it鈥檚 cheaper to live away from the city centre. 鈥淚n Freiburg, I currently pay 鈧�300 a month for a double room and that includes all of my bills,鈥� says Erasmus student Amy Johnson.
Affordable rent isn鈥檛 the only perk for Johnson. She also enjoys the busy social scene, pubs, clubs, cafes and ice cream parlours. And if the UK beckons, 鈥淔reiburg is close to two airports, which makes it easy to fly home.鈥�