When Josef Käs set off for HarvardUniversity in 1993, he was one ofhundreds of hopeful young Germanresearchers who cross the Atlantic eachyear searching for a scientific career. Ten

years later, he is one of a small group of top scientistsfor whom the German government is prepared to digdeep in its pockets to entice home.

The letter that made him a member of this élitecircle arrived two years ago. In 2001, the government-financed Alexander von Humboldt Foundationoffered him the prestigious Wolfgang Paul Award — ascheme designed to bring scientists with internationalreputations to Germany. The recipients can conductresearch in a German lab of their choice, with theunusually generous support of about E2 million(US$2.2 million) over three years.

Käs didn’t think twice. Top universities would have gladly opened their doors to the 40-year-oldbiophysicist. But the Munich-born researcher made anunexpected move — he established his group at theUniversity of Leipzig in the east of the country.

His decision reflects the growing attractiveness ofthe country’s new eastern Länder (states) to youngresearchers seeking opportunities and first-classworking conditions in many emerging fields. YetGermany’s fragile economy risks reversing the east’supswing of the past decade.

PAINFUL TRANSITION

Following German reunification in 1990, the Soviet-style science system of the former East Germany wasredesigned into a modern science base (see Nature401, 635–639; 1999). The transformation, althoughpainful to the thousands of East German researcherswho lost their jobs, was largely successful, as was thewhole Aufbau Ost, a heavily subsidized programmeaimed at equalizing economic and living standards ineastern and western Germany.

But not everything has been levelled. Althoughliving costs are lower in the east than in the west, so tooare wages, and unemployment is worryingly higher.Also, the number of researchers per thousand in theeastern workforce (3.8) lags behind that in the west(6.0) — mainly because, according to an analysis by theGerman science ministry, the east still lacks the right

mixture of research-intensive industries of all sizes.But eastern Germany should no longer fear

comparison with the west of the country on thestrength of its academic system. The Max PlanckSociety, Germany’s main non-university organizationfor basic research, for example, has set-up 20 high-profile institutes in the new Länder. Cities such asLeipzig, Halle, Jena, Dresden and Greifswald havebecome attractive science areas, with a good mix ofuniversity research, Max Planck institutes, other non-university institutes and science parks.

WELL-EQUIPPED

The recent investments mean that — contrary togeneral belief — scientists in eastern Germany oftenhave more modern instrumentation and tools in theirlabs than their counterparts in the west.

Eric Marois, a French microbiologist at the MaxPlanck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology andGenetics in Dresden, says that instrumentation was anattraction, not an obstacle, in his decision to moveeast. “We have everything you could desire,” saysMarois. “Our microscopes, centrifuges, animal roomsand anaesthetic stations are absolutely top-notch.”

Technical and animal-care staff are plentiful andcompetent, he says, which he finds particularlyhelpful. Also, foreign researchers are assisted by aspecial employee who deals with bureaucraticformalities, which can be a tedious duty, particularlyfor those whose first language is not German.

There is some xenophobia, occasionally reportedby the media, but this isn’t a reason to keep away fromGermany, says Marois. “There have been someincidents of violence to foreigners, but by and largethe risk of being attacked on the street here is certainlyno higher than in Paris or in any other big city.”

Marois had the choice four years ago between doinghis PhD in the United States or in eastern Germany. He chose Germany’s ‘wild east’, which, althoughgeographically nearer to France, culturally andscientifically seemed more distant and adventurous.

“I liked the idea of learning a new language andmentality,” he says. He found the small-town charm ofHalle, and later the quiet grandeur of Dresden, morefavourable to creative research than the constant rushof Western or Asian capitals.

204 NATURE | VOL 423 | 8 MAY 2003 | www.nature.com/nature

Science has flourished ineastern Germany sincereunification, bringingresearchers from far andnear. But the tide ofinvestment may be turning.Marieke Degen reports.

Josef Käs: enjoys scientificopenness, cooperation anda well-equipped lab.

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© 2003 Nature Publishing Group

Käs agrees. He says he likes the open atmosphere of Leipzig, as well as the courage and staying power of its citizens, who precipitated the fall of the Berlinwall in autumn 1989. Now thousands of peace activists in Leipzig have revived the famous Mondaydemonstrations, this time against the Iraq war.

Another pleasant relic from East Germany, where it was taken for granted that women could work aswell as men, is the well-functioning childcare system,which is very convenient for young researchers such as Käs who bring their family.

“I would have come here with or without theWolfgang Paul prize,” he says. “The United States is agreat place to live for a while, but I really prefer thatmy little daughter grows up in old Europe.”

There are also many scientific reasons to opt foreastern Germany, he adds. At the university’sdepartment of experimental physics, Käs isdeveloping, among other things, a method for theearly diagnosis of cancer, by testing the elasticity ofcells with laser microscopes. The project involvesclinical immunologists from other departments. Thislevel of interaction with colleagues from neighbouringfields is typical in the east, says Käs. At Harvard andthe University of Texas at Austin, he seldomencountered cooperation across discipline boundaries.

“If everything has gone well for decades, researchershave little need or incentive to leave their well-knownterritory and try something new,” Käs comments. Nowhe is experiencing a completely different scientific

spirit. “The institute structures are not yet fixed, andwe are basically forced to work closely together,” hesays. “The borders here are all open, which leads to veryproductive interdisciplinary research.”

STORMCLOUDS ON THE HORIZON

But the academic idyll is under threat. Germany’seconomic crisis has led to cuts in research budgets thatare particularly painful in the east, where massiveinvestment over the past ten years requires highrunning and repair costs (see Nature 420, 452; 2002).

The physics and Earth-science departments at theUniversity of Leipzig, for example, have expensivenuclear-magnetic-resonance facilities, and a E3.5-million high-energy nanometre ion probe, one of onlytwo of its kind in the world.

“We have almost no money left to keep ourexcellent equipment running,” says Matthias Schaefer,the department’s administrative director. The Germangovernment has promised to keep up special supportof research in the east through programmes such asInnoRegio, which puts E65 million a year into regionalacademic–industrial research networks.

But the new Länder remain the poor cousins whenit comes to large research infrastructure. In February,the federal research minister, Edelgard Bulmahn,announced a E1.6-billion investment package intofour large projects, including a high-magnetic-fieldlaboratory at the Rossendorf research centre nearDresden, the former East German centre for nuclearresearch (see Nature 421, 682; 2003). Researchers inthe east feel they got a raw deal with the E24.5-millionfacility. “Almost 98% of the money remains in thewest,” says Frank Pobell, scientific director of theRossendorf centre. “If you are serious about theAufbau Ost, the east would have deserved better.”

Pobell strongly regrets Germany’s vote against theE1.4-billion European Spallation Source (ESS), aproposed major neutron-science facility for whichSaxony had already submitted a detailed scientificoutline and a site (see Nature 421, 563; 2003). “It is aunique opportunity that has been missed,” he says.“The ESS would have attracted thousands of scientistseach year from all over Europe. It would have given ahuge boost to research over here.” ■

Marieke Degen was recently a Munich-based intern for Nature.

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Matthias Schaefer: hasgood equipment but littlemoney to run it.

The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden.

The University of Leipzig’shigh-energy nanometreion probe is one of onlytwo in the world.

NATURE | VOL 423 | 8 MAY 2003 | www.nature.com/nature 205© 2003 Nature Publishing Group