This week, the newly elected ruling coalition of Social Democrats and Greens announced that Edelgard Bulmahn--the Social Democrat's parliamentary spokesperson for science--will replace Jürgen Rüttgers when the new government assumes control on 27 October. In making the announcement, the "Red-Green" coalition resisted calls from rival ministries to split the portfolio, which includes basic and applied research. Leading German scientists had opposed the idea. However, the coalition moved several small business-related research programs to the economics ministry.

Although Bulmahn, 47, is a political scientist by training, she is no stranger to science policy. She recently served as "shadow minister" for science while the Social Democrats were in the opposition and since 1995 has served on the Bundestag's science and education committee. Bulmahn has a good grasp of the issues facing German science, says biochemist Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, who heads the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany's basic-research granting agency.

Bulmahn says that the new ruling partners, led by chancellor-designate and longtime ally Gerhard Schröder, "agree on the importance of scientific research for Germany's future." In a new position paper, the coalition promises a "significant strengthening" of science budgets next year and moves to bolster German universities.

Bulmahn told Science that she opposes "major changes" in biotechnology policies, despite a push by some Greens for stricter controls on research involving genetically engineered plants. However, she expressed support for studies into the potential risks of certain biotechnology methods. It is not yet clear, however, how her ministry will respond to the research implications of the coalition's plans to phase out Germany's nuclear industry. The move could pinch fusion research and possibly delay the FRM-II neutron source now under construction in Garching.