German universities and research organizations will receive an €18-billion (US$25-billion) windfall over the next decade, after Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime ministers of the country's 16 states agreed on 4 June to finance the package.rnIn April, the weak economy had made some states waver in their intention to contribute to the proposed programmes, and Peer Steinbriick, Germany's finance minister, had suggested that a final decision might need to be postponed until after September's federal parliamentary elections.
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