Munich

In some ways, the cure became part of the disease. Rules set up in Germany last year, intended to improve career paths for researchers, restricted scientists to a maximum of 12 years of public funding.

But young scientists who stay in Germany may need this time just to complete their PhD, one postdoc and one contract as an independent junior research-group leader in a university or research institute — even though a permanent academic job such as a professorship usually requires more experience than this.

Now, in a surprise move, the Max Planck Society (MPS) will relax its strict non-tenure recruitment policy in a bid to help some of the heads of junior research groups in its 80 research institutes to stay in the system.

The society's rules allow only one five-year contract as a junior research group leader. But the MPS now plans to allow the institutes to offer its best junior research heads de facto permanent positions when their five-year contracts run out.

“We need to give young scientists more time to develop the experience and track record they require,” says Herbert Jäckle, a director at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen and vice-president of the MPS. “Otherwise, most of them will be forced, against their will, to continue their careers abroad, or outside the academic system.”

Jäckle says that only the potential high-flyers among the society's 100 or so young group leaders will be offered extensions. The MPS likes researchers to leave when they have a strong publication list, to take up jobs at universities. “It is of course possible that some might stay forever,” says Jäckle, adding that “this is a risk we're ready to accept.”