Germany in the ERA: Progress and challenges according to the Scoreboard and Dashboard 2024
On April 15, 2025, the European Commission presented the Scoreboard and Dashboard 2024 for the European Research Area (ERA). The analysis, based on data from 2010 to 2022, assesses the implementation of ERA objectives by EU member states and associated countries in areas such as research spending, open science, gender equality and international cooperation. The complementary ERA Dashboard allows a detailed analysis of progress at national level and serves as a tool for targeted political steering.
Positive developments
- At EU level, clear progress towards achieving the ERA targets can be seen overall.
- Sweden, Belgium, Austria and Germany record R&D expenditure of over 3% of GDP – the highest proportions within the EU-27.
- Academic freedom is enshrined in the constitutions of several Member States, including Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Estonia.
- With 1,616 project participations and 21 coordinated Horizon 2020 partnerships, Germany is above the EU average for EU research cooperation – only France is further ahead in terms of coordination. At €3.46 billion, Germany received the highest EU research funding.
- The highest growth rates for foreign doctoral students within the EU-27 can be found in Slovenia, followed by Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Greece and Hungary.
- Together with the Czech Republic and Romania, Germany is one of the countries with the highest growth in open access publications. France and Germany lead in European and international co-patent applications.
Challenges
- There is still a need for sustainable, long-term public investment in research.
- A decline in private-sector investment in research and development, including in Germany, is seen as a cause for concern. There is still room for improvement in cooperation between research institutions and industry.
- A decline in private sector investment in research and development, including in Germany, is seen as a cause for concern. There is still room for improvement in cooperation between research institutions and industry.
- In Germany, Malta, the Netherlands and Austria, the proportion of women among doctoral students in STEM subjects is well below the EU average at under 35%.
