In recent years, numerous structural reforms and paradigmatic changes have taken place in the German higher education system. The “principle of equality”, a valid paradigm so far, was stepwise replaced by stratification and differentiation between universities. So called “elite universities” were nominated after a huge (and controversially discussed) competition, the funding program German Excellence Initiative (“Exzellenzinitiative”), new public management tools were implemented and the importance of competitive funding has risen. Triggered by these developments, the allocation of basic funding, the researchers’ increasing pressure to perform as well as the diminution of “small disciplines” has been intensely discussed.

The Scientists Survey 2010, a representative online survey among more than 3000 professors at German universities, was conducted by the Institute for Research Information and Quality Assurance (iFQ) in cooperation with the German Science Foundation (DFG) in spring 2010. Based on this survey an analysis of effects and the professors’ assessment of the recent reforms on the individual level was undertaken.

The study tackles a broad range of topics, its focus is on third party funding, providing an insight to professors’ opinions and assessments about funding conditions. Another important topic is outcome and effects of competition induced differentiation processes in the German science system. Further issues discussed are scientific misconduct, gender issues, performance-based funding, internationalization and interdisciplinarity. Thus, the Scientists Survey 2010 continues the tradition of former surveys among applicants to the DFG, the “DFG-Antragstellerbefragungen”, as well as the 1970th and 1980th Allensbach surveys among university teachers. Comparison with items from the Allensbach surveys shows that the dramatic changes in research conditions, which took place in the last two decades, have had an influence on the professors’ opinions. A majority of the professors considers the pressure due to evaluations as well as due to the demand to acquire third-party funding and to publish to be excessive.

The situation of young scientists with a doctoral degree is judged critically: According to the respondents there is a lack of jobs for young scientists and career prospects for young scientists are too insecure. However, at the same time considerable recruitment problems are reported.

Consistently positive are the judgements on how well the DFG fulfils its tasks: particularly well the DFG performs regarding the promotion of young scientists, the support of national cooperation, the securing of good scientific practice and their role in the funding program “Excellence Initiative”. At the same time, however, excellence competitions – both for research and for teaching – are considered rather inappropriate means to strengthen Germany’s position as a science and research hub.

The respondents consider it particularly important that the DFG is committed to securing good scientific practice. Even though the DFG is seen to fulfil this task very well, scientific misconduct remains an explosive topic: More than half of the respondents had been confronted with misconduct. Most frequent are reports of misconduct – by others or by oneself – in the context of granting authorship (artificial authorship and refused authorship). Like the reports of the ombuds committees, also the survey among scientists 2010 reports on violations of good scientific practice occurring particularly often in the life sciences.

The results of the Scientists Survey will be taken up by the German Research Foundation in order to improve their funding strategy. However, the survey provides a broader view on the general situation.

A first report of the survey´s results was published in March 2011 (in German only): Wissenschaftler-Befragung 2010: Forschungsbedingungen von Professorinnen und Professoren an deutschen Universitäten. iFQ-Working Paper No.8  

Download the Executive Summary in English.