The Pact for Research and Innovation (PFI) is one of the most important instruments for strengthening Germany as a science location and its international competitiveness. The pact was first signed in 2005 between the federal and state governments, the German Research Foundation and the research organisations Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Helmholtz Association, Leibniz Association and Max Planck Society closed. Since then, it has been renewed several times. 2021 saw the beginning of its fourth term, which will last ten years for the first time – until 2030.
The agreement between the federal and state governments on the PFI forms the bracket around the entire institutional funding of the five Pact organisations. The PFI combines unique financial planning security and improved framework conditions for the Pact organisations with common research policy objectives. For the current duration of the PFI, the federal and state governments have defined five research policy goals: