Research

Under research is understood in contrast to the random Discover the systematic search for new knowledge as well as their documentation and publication. The publication is mainly as a research work in relevant journals and / or presentation at professional conferences. Research and research projects are operated in the scientific as well as industrial, but also in the artistic context.

Branches of research

Research is generally divided into:

• Basic research, which attempts to clarify previously unknown objects, behavioral mechanisms, basic structures or functional relationships of elementary type. For example, basic scientific research is concerned, for example, with the function of organisms in biology or the interaction of substances in chemistry and physics. Humanities Basic research has, for example, the phenomenon of education on the topic. She explores historically or socially relevant laws of human behavior. This research is a systematic and engaged to operate mainly on Scientific colleges. In Germany, special research institutions such as the nonprofit research organization the Max-Planck -Gesellschaft eV ( MPG ) and the Institute of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres are beyond ( HGF ) is concerned. Working in Austria institutions such as the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS ) in basic research. Basic research is the extension of basic scientific knowledge. The scope is not the focus of interest. Basic research provides a foundation for applied research and development.
• Translational research, further, targeted basic research at the interface of applied research, which is based on self- developed scientific evidence and focused on specific application goals or / and to developing economic, social or cultural benefits. This includes, for example, the Leibniz Association
• Applied research (including applied research ), who wants to solve a hands-on, often technical problem. It pursues a useful and found both at universities and in the private sector, in Germany and at the institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, instead. In other countries also knows similar, partly state-funded institutions, such as the TNO in the Netherlands and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT ) in Austria. In a narrow sense this is still a distinction between process and product research. The insights gained are translated into technical developments.

While basic research is conducted from a pure interest in knowledge and tries to track down the general correlations and laws that applied research is focused on practice-relevant, useful results. Each of the two research directions can be inspiration for the other and benefit from the other. The basic research work at a higher level of abstraction, the application research moves closer to the practicalities.

Financing

In terms of financial expense is attributable in industrialized countries, the majority of research on the industry, so it is especially applied research attributable. Basic research is, however, supported mainly by scientists at the research facilities of universities and specialized (to a lesser extent ) Institute.

This research is mainly financed by the institute or university budget. But in almost all Western countries grows, the proportion of so-called externally funded research. Essentially, these are requested and conducted by university teachers research projects for which there is usually a ( semi- ) public research funding.

Germany

According to calculations by the Federal Statistical Office for the year 2007, the total research effort in Germany a total of around EUR 61.5 billion, of which 70 percent were funded by industry. The research-based pharmaceutical companies in Germany wore while 10.5 percent of the total research effort of German industry.

The majority of the approximately 18 billion euros " non-industrial " research attributable to the institutes at universities and academies. For their primary budget come the third-party funding, which mainly funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Its budget in 2010 amounted to around 2.3 billion euros. According to research report 2010 of which 67.1 percent from the federal government, 32.7 percent of the countries and 0.2 percent from foundations and private donations came from.

About 15,000 of the 32,000 research projects of current production were located in the individual promotion. For them, in 2010 a total of € 894 million in grants have been approved. There are also 256 special research areas, for which the DFG about 4600 projects supported ( volume of approvals 547 million euros ). The DFG report writes further: were promoted also in the coordinated programs 237 Research Training Group ( 138 million euros ), 113 priority programs with about 3400 projects ( 193 million euros ) and 252 research groups with nearly 2,500 projects (150 million euros ).

Austria

Austrian Research Fund FWF and FFG distinguish between basic and industrial research. Both funds are mainly financed by the government, the rest from the private sector. The FWF approved 2012 684 new research projects amounting to a total of almost 200 million euros. At 427 million payout for research projects FFG comes in 2012. More (some public ) conveyors are the Christian Doppler Research Association and the Academy. In addition to FWF and FFG, Austria has a number of other research funding agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Science and Research of Transport, Innovation and Technology, and the Economy, Family and Youth. Some states have also established research funding programs, such as Vienna with the Vienna Business Agency ( Vienna Science and Research Fund ) and the ZIT (Centre for Innovation and Technology) or the SFG in the Steiermark ( Styrian Wirtschaftsföderungsgesellschaft ). Almost all of them but also serve a FFG to be handled internally funded programs. The share of private non -profit research funding is relatively low in Austria.