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Future Research and Innovation Strategy : , Theme: research

The Federal Government is realigning its research and innovation policy. With the "Future Research and Innovation Strategy", it wants to dare more progress in order to strengthen Germany's innovative power and secure Europe's technological sovereignty.

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Germany was and is a country of progress and innovation. To ensure that this remains the case in the future, the Federal Government, under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), has developed the "Future Research and Innovation Strategy" across all ministries. With this strategy, the Federal Government defines the goals, milestones and priorities of its research and innovation policy for the coming years. It creates the framework for an innovation system that contributes to protecting the natural foundations of life, securing Germany's international competitiveness, strengthening the resilience of society and expanding economic strength. With this strategy, the Federal Government is daring to make more progress in line with the coalition agreement and is addressing the major social and global challenges of our time: climate change, the biodiversity crisis, environmental pollution, the fight against poverty, and sustainable development. In doing so, the policy also decisively assumes responsibility towards future generations.

 The Federal Government's innovation policy goals

Research and innovation are the basis of our current and future prosperity. They are a source of progress and offer opportunities. The Federal Government wants to make use of these potentials. It has set itself three overarching goals with its new innovation policy strategy:

  • Aim for technology leadership: We want to maintain and expand our technological leadership in certain fields and gain it in others. Germany and the European Union must themselves be able to understand key technologies, develop them and produce them.
  • Advance research transfer: The transfer from research to application must be strengthened. After all, the innovative solutions that emerge in science should reach people's lives. That is why the Federal Government wants to optimise and expand the structures for innovation and transfer with the Future Research and Innovation Strategy.
  • Become more technology open: We need to increase technological openness in all areas of society. Therefore, we want to promote the development of different technologies that offer suitable solutions for the diverse challenges we face. This ensures freedom of action for us and for future generations.

To achieve these goals, the Federal Government is realigning research and innovation policy across the Federal Ministries.

graphic that shows an overview of the Future Research and Innovation Strategy

The Future Research and Innovation Strategy sets the path for strengthening Germany's innovative capacity: By further developing science, research and transfer, better frameworks are created for the development of urgently needed innovations (dark blue fields). In order for science and research to develop targeted solutions for the challenges of our time, the Strategy formulates six corresponding missions to which all activities of the innovation system are directed (light blue fields). © BMBF

Science, research and transfer

The further development of the innovation system should be systemic and sustainable. With its Future Research and Innovation Strategy, the Federal Government is setting appropriate guidelines to improve the framework for research and innovation. In addition to excellent basic research, applied research relevant for practical use is also to be advanced. It is directly followed by strategic knowledge transfer. Only with successful knowledge transfer, research results will become innovations. Finding answers to global challenges also requires international, European, national and regional cooperation as well as a strong European Union at the international level. Central actors with the necessary expertise in science, business and society must be brought together and focus on shared goals. The further development of the education and training system as well as the targeted promotion of talents also contributes to securing our future viability. In addition, government and administration should be able to react more flexibly and quickly to unforeseeable events and developments in order to keep its ability to take action. This creates a resilient basis to drive the necessary change with research and innovation.

 Actively shaping transformation processes

On the basis of the Future Research and Innovation Strategy, we plan to better integrate research and innovation policy within other political fields and focus our activities more effectively in the form of missions. The Future Research and Innovation Strategy lays out transformation roadmaps for these missions, identifies areas for action and prioritises goals and activities in the areas of resource-conscious management, climate protection and preservation of biodiversity, health, digital and technological sovereignty, space and marine research, and societal resilience.

 Fostering communication, dialogue and engagement

The Future Research and Innovation Strategy thrives on direct involvement and engagement. It benefits from the ideas, suggestions and thoughts of people up and down the country. Within this framework, the Federal Government offers numerous formats to report on results, examine the progress of the Future Research and Innovation Strategy and invite citizens to contribute their ideas and stimuli.