an excellent initiative ?

Science in Germany has received a huge confidence boost this autumn, with 2 Nobel prizes and six new "elite" universities. Read my story here.

However, once the champagne has been mopped up, it is far from clear how the broad base -- which you need to sustain a high peak -- is going to benefit from all this. Lecture theatres are still overcrowded, and word in the street is that the country doesn't even produce as many academics as it will need in a modern world ...