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Shock for Erfurt: Data project stopped - East Germany's future in danger!
Erfurt loses DATI's location, which has negative consequences for research and innovation in Thuringia.
Shock for Erfurt: Data project stopped - East Germany's future in danger!
The federal government's decision not to locate the German Agency for Transfer and Innovation (DATI) in Erfurt is causing anger and disappointment in Thuringia. Andreas Krey, managing director of the State Development Corporation (LEG), described this step as catastrophic and accused the federal government of sending a bad signal for eastern German states. The “Dati” project was associated with great expectations and was expected to provide over 700 million euros for personnel and material costs MDR reported. Krey explains that the location for the agency in the planned ICE City Erfurt had long been determined and that the contract was won against 68 competitors. After the first positive signals, the reversal of the decision was felt all the more painful.
Thuringia's State Secretary for Science Steffen Teichert also expressed his regret about the decision. He sees this not only as a loss for Erfurt, but as a sign that the East German research landscape is falling further behind. “This decision was hinted at in the coalition agreement of the new black-red federal government,” said Teichert, while the Federal Research Ministry had not yet given an explanation as to how at the time of reporting Time noted.
Political reactions
Thuringia's left-wing parliamentary group leader Christian Schaft also expressed criticism, saying it was a “total failure on the part of the federal minister”. “This decision is a slap in the face to the East German research landscape,” Schaft continued. He calls on the Thuringian state government not to accept this decision. Minister Carsten Schneider agrees and advocates a correction or compensation for Erfurt as a science location. He calls on the CDU to influence decision-makers in order to better represent Thuringia's interests.
The Thuringian Green Party member of the Bundestag Katrin Göring-Eckardt is also outraged. She describes the end of “Dati” as a major setback for innovation policy in Thuringia and calls for a new strategy from the federal government to assert the role of the federal state in the future research landscape.
The importance of research and innovation
Research is of central importance not only for Thuringia, but for all of Germany. The share of spending on research and development currently amounts to 3.14 percent of GDP, making Germany one of the most research-intensive countries in the world. Nevertheless, an increasing structural problem is becoming apparent: competitiveness is at risk because it is not possible to provide sufficient impetus for innovation in the economy and society, as in Donors' Association is determined.
Without a clear strategy, Germany risks falling behind, especially in key technologies and future markets. In this context, the rejection for Erfurt and the DATI is given even greater weight. The transfer of knowledge is intended to be promoted through such initiatives, and many in Thuringia hope that the state government will adopt a combative stance in order to regain the lost hopes for the region.