The Federal Chancellor’s Strategy Group for Technology and Innovation is the German government’s primary advisory body on technology and innovation policy. Appointed by the Federal Chancellor for the 21st legislative period, it comprises members of the federal government and high-ranking representatives from science and industry.
The first meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche, Federal Minister for Research Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation Karsten Wildberger, and Head of the Federal Chancellery Thorsten Frei on behalf of the government. The Federal Minister of Finance, as another permanent member, and the Federal Minister of Defence were each represented by a state secretary.
The Strategy Group focuses on new developments, findings, and trends in the innovation cycle and discusses specific proposals for strengthening the research and innovation system, resilience, and technological sovereignty. Its goal is to leverage the potential of scientific research and industry to boost the innovative strength and competitiveness of Germany as an industry location and to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities. Topics discussed at the inaugural meeting included strengthening innovation and competitiveness in the security and defence industry and in artificial intelligence.
The Key Topics of the First Meeting
The first meeting focused on two key topics that will determine Germany’s future viability:
- Artificial Intelligence as a key technology for productivity and value creation
- Security and Defence Industry and its importance for freedom, security, and technological sovereignty
First, the high pace of AI development worldwide and its potential for increasing productivity in science, industry, and public administration were addressed. The members of the strategy group agreed that the significance of this future technology should no longer be viewed exclusively in terms of value creation and prosperity in Germany, but must also be discussed in the context of current social and geopolitical challenges.
Second, innovation potential in the security and defence industry was examined. Against the backdrop of current initiatives by the German federal government, possibilities were discussed for further accelerating the procurement process, strengthening capacity building through innovation spaces and iterative approaches, and generating economies of scale in production.
Based on a benchmarking of the strengths and weaknesses of the innovation system in an international comparison, the strategy group defined its level of ambition at its inaugural meeting. The aim is to leverage transfer potential through powerful initiatives and a substantial improvement in the framework conditions along the entire innovation chain.
The Steering Committee and Its Members
The work content of the Federal Chancellor’s Strategy Group for Technology and Innovation is prepared by an administrative office based at acatech – the German Academy of Science and Engineering.
The following representatives from industry and science were appointed to the steering committee of the Federal Chancellor’s Strategy Group for Technology and Innovation:
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Weber | acatech President – Chair of the Steering Committee
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka | President of the Fraunhofer Society
- Prof. Dietmar Harhoff, Ph.D. | Director at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition
- Dr. Jarosław Kutyłowski | Founder and CEO of DeepL SE
- Prof. Dr. Astrid Lambrecht | Chair of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH in the Helmholtz Association
- Peter Leibinger | Chairman of the Supervisory Board TRUMPF; President BDI
- Prof. Dr. Özlem Türeci | Co-Founder and CMO of BioNTech SE
- Grazia Vittadini | CTO and Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG