Bavaria: State government wants to continue the high-tech agenda until 2027 – Bavaria

The state government wants to continue its multi-billion dollar high-tech agenda beyond 2024. A further two billion euros are to be made available for this by 2027, after the 3.5 billion euros already planned. This was announced by Science Minister Markus Blume (CSU) on Wednesday in a government statement in the state parliament. The money is also simply needed to continue financing the 2,500 new jobs, as well as projects that have been started. “There are two more billion investment in the future of Bavaria and for future generations,” said Blume.

Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had started Agenda 2019. With an investment volume of 3.5 billion euros, 13,000 new study places and 2,500 new jobs would be created, including 1,000 new professorships, said Blume. 62 percent of the professorships have already been filled, and the process is ongoing for a further 21 percent.

Among other things, the opposition accused the state government of setting one-sided priorities: Not only engineers and computer scientists are needed, but also humanities and social scientists. And: The basic funding of the universities in the Free State is insufficient.

Green party leader Katharina Schulze accused Blume of reducing progress to technical innovations – that was short-sighted. “A knowledge society like ours cannot afford to leave out the humanities and social sciences.” Bavaria must also become “world market leader in climate protection”. She also continued to complain about unequal educational opportunities for children and young people.

Christian Flisek (SPD) said high-tech is important – but diversity and a “holistic concept” are needed. He also complained about an immense renovation backlog in university construction. Wolfgang Heubisch (FDP) accused Blume of announcing a lot but delivering too little. In addition, the situation on the housing market is a problem for students. AfD parliamentary group leader Ulrich Singer complained that Bavaria was a digitally developing country, with the internet still being slow in many places.

Blume, on the other hand, described the high-tech agenda a good five months before the state elections as “guarantees of prosperity” for the future of Bavaria. It is also an excellence program, a talent factory, an important location factor and a “declaration of independence” https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/ “Innovation machine” for the entire federal state.

The desire for an additional university of excellence also remains

There have never been as many university locations in Bavaria as there are today, namely 84. “We now have more university locations than counties.” Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Traunstein, Kulmbach and Dingolfing were recently added. There have never been so many students in Bavaria (404,000) and never before so many professors (8,000). And: At the end of the legislature there will be 46 technology transfer centers.

Under the motto “Mission Future”, Blume announced increased research in the field of nuclear fusion, quantum computers and robots of the future. “Our vision: we want to get a demonstration plant for laser-induced nuclear fusion off the ground, based in Bavaria and gladly together with other states and the federal government,” he said.

The desire for an additional university of excellence in Bavaria, in addition to the two existing ones in Munich, remains. “We also want a university of excellence for northern Bavaria,” said Blume. Thanks to the high-tech agenda, the Franconian universities have an excellent starting position. Review: Söder had already declared further excellence ranks as a goal in 2019, namely in Franconia and eastern Bavaria.

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