Research and Development: A Lucrative Employment Market for Young Scientists By Ann-Kathrin Akalin

Research and development encompasses a range of exciting subjects, cutting edge technologies and high-quality products, and the inventions being tinkered with by researchers today may well be used by us all tomorrow. Whereas basic fundamental research generally takes place at technical universities or in other public and private research institutes, companies are seeking to develop scientific knowledge in such a way that it unlocks direct practical applications which can ultimately be translated into marketable products. This innovative force is a decisive factor for companies in ensuring their sustainability and asserting their position in the market. For young scientists this offers a broad playing field with excellent, sometimes global, development opportunities.

Opportunities at Home and Abroad

The value which Bayer AG places on research and development is clear from its slogan: Science For A Better Life. The company, which, in addition to drugs, produces crop protection products and plastics and also provides IT infrastructure and technology solutions for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, places great importance on "engaging exceptionally qualified and highly motivated employees to carry out research and development work that can help put the company's motto into practice", explains Dr. Dirk Pfenning from the Center of Expertise People Development at Bayer AG. With more than 12,000 jobs in this area, Bayer offers staff a broad spectrum of opportunities both at home and abroad: Around half of the company's researchers work in Germany; two thirds of the total research staff is employed throughout Europe. North America is another key research area for the company where 20% of its R&D staff are active while another 10% work in Asia. "Since we recruit staff internationally, there is a substantial proportion of foreign academics even at our German sites", comments Pfenning.

According to Dr. Ulrich Eberl, Head of Global Innovation Communication at Munich-based industrial conglomerate Siemens, which is active in a wide range of markets such as domestic appliances, communications networks and solutions, healthcare, building technology, energy and IT solutions, the research and development division is a "key success factor for the company". Eberl goes on to explain that the R&D division produces innovations which have always formed the cornerstones of the company's success. With some 1,500 open positions currently available at Siemens, of which 80% are for scientists and engineers, there are plenty of career opportunities for young scientists. At present Siemens employees around 13,000 researchers in Germany alone.

A similar story can be found at Daimler AG where research is regarded as an essential factor in the company's commercial success. "Our research and development activities are our absolute number one priority", stresses Maria Riolo, Head of Global Talent Acquisition & Development. At Daimler they are always on the look-out for motivated people "with whom we can work to reinvent the automobile", she continues. Daimler's R&D activities employ 19,000 staff and internationalisation is very much a keyword because research teams are frequently international in their composition and work across time zones and borders. In addition to R&D facilities in Germany, the car manufacturer has sites in Bangalore (India), Yokohama (Japan), Shanghai (China), Palo Alto (USA) and Moscow (Russia).

Increasing research budgets

In Germany, the amount of investment in R&D activities is around 2.5% of the GDP, which is only slightly above the OECD average of 2.2% even though 70% of all research and development activities are for the German economy. Only around €2 billion in public funding is made available annually for research and development purposes, while technical universities and research institutes receive almost €15 billion. But despite the crisis, the research budget for the German economy is actually increasing: in 2007 the budget amounted to €53.5 billion with forecasts for 2008 in the region of €56.8 billion and almost €60 billion for 2009. Large companies simply cannot abandon research and development.