National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)

18 Oct Strategy of Promoting Interest in Young People for Science and Engineering

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2009

Germany is threatened by a dearth of professionals skilled in MINT occupations. This can have far-reaching consequences for the innovative capacity of science and industry. Therefore it is the declared goal of acatech, the German Academy of Science and Engineering, to promote interest in science and engineering and to increase the number of graduates in all MINT fields. acatech's proposed strategy for promoting interest in science and engineering focuses primarily on graduates in technical fields, since the lack of professionals in this area is particularly pronounced and engineers play a key role in sustaining and increasing Germany's economic power.

18 Oct Making design engineering fascinating Recommendations for training qualified design engineers

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2012

Today's design engineers act as developers, drivers and originators in the process of creating new products. They conceive new products for businesses taking account of all the phases in the product's life cycle, and they provide the documentation needed to manufacture them. As such, they have a direct influence on the success of manufacturing companies. They need to be creative and continuously rise to the challenge of using new materials and technologies. In addition to traditional design engineering know-how in areas such as machine components and materials, functional groups, production and assembly technology, design engineering methodology, systematic problem solving and spatial visualisation skills, they increasingly also require IT and programming skills as well as electrical engineering and mechatronics know-how. Systems design draws on a combination of all these skills.

18 Oct The Potential of Dual Study Programmes in the STEM Subjects

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2015

Innovation is key to sustainable value creation and employment in Germany. However, even today there is already a shortage of adequately qualified personnel in some innovative industries. As a result of high staff turnover and the anticipated future increase in recruitment levels, a growing shortfall is becoming particularly apparent in the “STEM” field, which incorporates all professions that involve technology, mathematics and the natural sciences. By continuing to strengthen dual study programmes we can help to secure a long-term supply of qualified personnel. Different studies and surveys together with heightened media interest all point to the fact that this blend of vocational training and academic education has become extremely popular in recent years.

18 Oct Socialisation in Early Childhood – Biological, psychological, linguistic, sociological and economic perspectives

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2014

Creating conditions that best foster the development of each individual’s potential to the fullest is a fundamental socio-political objective. Not least because this approach ensures that a society as a whole is best able to achieve its own potential. Debating the details of these conditions is a matter of societal, political, as well as scientific debates. One recurrent topic of public discussions has been the role of genetic influences and the significance of the environment in early stages of human development. Another issue moving to the center of attention of German politics and society in recent years has been the question of childcare and early education. This position statement brings together extensive research on early childhood from multiple disciplines, condensing it into an intelligible form and highlighting the conclusions that may be drawn from it. Taking this body of interdisciplinary research as a starting-point, this position statement outlines socialisation in early childhood and confirms the immense significance of this period and the developments completed within it for later life, while vividly illustrating interactions between genetic predispositions and environmental experience.

18 Oct Government Debt: Causes, Effects and Limits

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2015

Seit der schweren Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise 2007/2008, der Verankerung der Schuldenbremse im Grundgesetz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 2009 und der Schuldenkrise einiger Eurostaaten seit 2010 wird das schon lange virulente Streitthema „Staatsschulden“ in der öffentlichen Debatte noch intensiver diskutiert. Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler, die mehrheitlich der Nationalen Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina, acatech – Deutsche Akademie der Technikwissenschaften und den in der Akademienunion zusammengeschlossenen Wissenschaftsakademien angehören, geben darin Antworten auf grundsätzliche Fragen der Staatsverschuldung. Sie wollen damit zur Versachlichung der oft auch emotional geführten Diskussion beitragen. Die Argumente und Standpunkte, die in den Medien, von politischen Entscheidungsträgern und auch von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern zum Thema Staatsschulden vertreten werden, sind ebenso kontrovers wie vielfältig. Besonders in Deutschland ist die Diskussion aufgrund der Erfahrung zweier großer Inflationen in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts auch von der Befürchtung geprägt, dass hohe Staatsschulden letztlich wieder zu einer großen Inflation führen. Die interdisziplinäre Arbeitsgruppe unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Carl-Ludwig Holtfrerich (Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften) strukturiert in ihrer Analyse die Debatte und konzentriert sich in ihrer Untersuchung auf die Bestimmungsfaktoren, die Wirkungen und – bei Gewährleistung der Nachhaltigkeit der Staatsfinanzen – auch auf die Einsatzbereiche der Staatsverschuldung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Dabei werden internationale Einflüsse und Abhängigkeiten sowie internationale Erfahrungen mitberücksichtigt.