Recommendations of the Scientific Commission on further development of the Research Fleet

German marine research welcomes the current recommendations of the Scientific Commission of the German Science and Humanities Council on the further development of the research fleet and other marine research infrastructures.

In January 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) asked the Scientific Commission of the German Science and Humanities Council to update the 2010 recommendations on the development and overall concept of the German marine research fleet, focusing on the strategy, utilization and need for renewal of medium-sized research vessels. In addition, the recommendation from 2010 to establish joint management and operational planning for the large-scale equipment required by research should be re-evaluated.

In the view of the Scientific Commission of the German Science and Humanities Council, it is essential that at least the current ship capacities remain available for research, training, technology development and monitoring. The Scientific Commission of the German Science and Humanities Council recommends that the existing regional fleet be gradually replaced and further developed by new vessels based on a uniform design. Complementary to the renewal of the regional research fleet, the Council of Science and Humanities recommends that the reimbursement of costs for the use and operation of large-scale sea-going equipment be reorganized to provide equal access to all researchers, regardless of their institution of origin, and to improve the efficiency and transparency of the system.

The recommendations of the Science Council were adopted on October 20, 2023.

Click here for the press release (German)

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