Research Minister
There is a research minister as the government agency for research affairs in many industrialized countries and in the larger developing countries .
A few decades ago, the agenda was in many cases in the education , teaching or science ministries. With the increasing importance of R&D, there is now more often a separate research or technology ministry .
Although the research department usually has the power to initiate or commission its own research projects , external organizations ( universities , academies , etc.) usually implement the projects. A direct influence of the ministry on the funding or direction of research projects is almost unanimously seen as politically undesirable and could also give rise to a certain amount of corruption.
The actual research funding is usually provided by the company's own funds , which, however, are financed (at least in part) by the public sector - including research ministries.
Other areas of work of such ministries include:
- Representation in international organizations such as ESA and ICSU , GIS developments and radio services , ESO , CEI and other technical-scientific cooperations ,
- preparing and accompanying edicts , bills, contracts , etc.,
- the development of scientific and organizational guidelines
- and participation in (inter) national or interdisciplinary committees , e.g. B. for normalizations ,
- political support for academic institutions ,
- the function as an umbrella organization for state research institutions ( museums , academies , etc.), for federal institutions and federal offices (e.g. mining , geodesy , geological state office , torrent control )
- the initiation of relevant studies (e.g. environment, energy, traffic), needs assessments and state-required assessments
- increasing the status of research in the public eye,
- Cross-links to business development and environmental protection ,
- as well as coordinating tasks in the border area between science, research, politics and society.