Top marks for research and development in the PTB

The Wissenschaftsrat sees the high competence and the visible motivation of the scientific personnel, the Bundesanstalt's excellent equipment with its research infrastructure as well as its convincing R&D management, as the basis of the "remarkable profile of performance" of the PTB. The innovative organisation of the departmental research between the PTB and the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) is regarded as a model for comparable federal institutions, e.g. the high degree of autonomy in the development of the research programmes.

At the same time, the PTB's work contributes to a considerable extent to the economic creation of value in Germany. Minister Glos said: "A clear competitive edge is given to the companies here through the technological developments, the technical infrastructure and the services of the PTB." The Bundesanstalt has a unique position in Germany and Europe regarding the quantity and quality of its science-based services, according to the opinion of the Wissenschaftsrat. This applies in particular to services in the calibration sector which are of great importance to trade and industry.

To support the economic development and processes of innovation in Germany more clearly, the Wissenschaftsrat recommends that the PTB is involved more strongly than it has been in discussions on possible areas for future development.

Both the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology's other scientific-technical federal institutes, the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing) and the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources) belong to the top group of departmental research bodies.

The complete text of the Wissenschaftsrat's statement is available to the public on the internet (www.wissenschaftsrat.de).