Summer Tour 2012: Innovation and Outstanding Research
On this year's summer tour, Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan visited locations with outstanding achievements in research and innovation. The Minister introduced an autonomous transportation system, sent research aircraft HALO on its first mission and, as part of the current year of science, visited sustainable city Leutkirch im Allgäu.
"Research is the key to the future," explains Minister Annette Schavan. "Innovation makes it possible for us to be strong contenders in the international competition for the best ideas. But it also results in very practical progress in terms of social coexistence." Progress, however, is no end in itself, according the Minister. "The goal of our research and innovation policy is to provide answers to the central questions of tomorrow: How will we sustain ourselves? How can we secure the livelihood of future generations? How will we meet our responsibility? How can we ensure the fair distribution of goods and resources? And how can we prevent the sort of situation in which progress benefits some while burdening others?"
Mobility should never be a question of age. At any age, people want to move around in their environment as freely, safely and independently as possible - even if they should suffer from physical impairment. read more: Social Inclusion: Staying Mobile and in Touch
(URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/19773.php)
Greenhouse gases released by humans are causing the earth's temperature to rise, along with a likely increase in extreme weather. With research aircraft HALO, we can now enter a new dimension of environment and climate research in Germany. read more: Research on Climate Change and Climate Change Mitigation
(URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/8493.php)
Europe's fastest supercomputer to date is up and running at Research Centre Jülich. JUQUEEN processes data with light and is energy efficient, despite its high performance. Its mission: simulating the human brain. read more: Supercomputers strengthening Germany's research landscape
(URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/298.php)
Part of transforming Germany's energy system means significantly increasing the amount of renewable energy in the mix - and bioenergy is to play a major role. A BMBF-funded pilot plant operated by Süd-Chemie is turning straw into biofuel. read more: Funding Success: Biofuel made from straw
(URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/17786.php)