Stark-Watzinger says Fraunhofer needs a new board, a new governance structure and better compliance standards.
The auditors said the executive board exceeded spending limits for hotel stays without justifying the need for this. After similar conclusions were reached in and audits, in BMBF asked Fraunhofer to ensure spending limits were stuck to, but it did not follow-up to ensure this happened, according to the report. Fraunhofer says grant money was used only for eligible trips and that its internal regulations are in compliance with the German Federal Travel Expenses Act, as stipulated by BMBF.
In addition, in December , the executive board asked for a plan to be put in place to return luxury cars once their leases expire. It employs over 30, people, most of whom are scientists and engineers.
Fraunhofer is not a public body and is registered as a nonprofit organisation. However, about one third of its budget comes from public grants. The remaining two thirds of its budget are generated from carrying out contract research. European Commission data shows Fraunhofer is one of the most successful applicants in EU research funding competitions. In October Neugebauer announced he intended to leave the post one year before his contract expires, with a view to passing on the baton by 30 September Neugebauer was first elected as president in , after spending 20 years at the Fraunhofer Institute in Chemnitz.
The Fraunhofer Senate is expected to elect a successor at its meeting in May. The new president will take office in October. Never miss an update from Science Business: Newsletter sign-up. Subscribe today. Log in. Sign up for the Funding Newswire. Sign up for the Policy Bulletin. Sign up for The Widening. Why join? Become a member. This site requires JavaScript to work correctly. Please enable Javascript and reload the page. German science minister tells Fraunhofer to reform amid allegations of misuse of funds 21 Mar News.
