Biotechnology, energy efficiency, organic electronics, aviation and solar energy – in Germany, these fields do not just sound like the future, they are. Five clusters of research and business have been selected in the first round of the “Spitzencluster-Wettbewerb” (Top Cluster Initiative) of the Ministry of Education and Research and will receive financial backing worth EUR 200 million over the next five years. As reported in the December edition of the ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, the Top Cluster Initiative strives to encourage strategic partnerships between German science and business by helping both to turn results from scientific research into marketable products faster and more effectively.

The overall objective is to increase the innovative speed of the German economy. But as the manager of one of the clusters rightly points out: "After the game is before the game – the real work for us begins now”.

An overview of the Top Cluster Initiative and details about the first five winners are available on the website of the German Government.

German Government