Federal Report on Research and Innovation 2024 published
22nd May 2024 — The Federal Government today published the latest “Federal Report on Research and Innovation” (BuFI). Following a decision by the Bundestag, biannually this report provides comprehensive information on the research and innovation policy of the federal and state governments. The BuFI gives an overview of the various elements of the German research and innovation system and underpins these with facts and figures. In doing so, it comments on key statements from the latest report by the “Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation" (EFI), which was submitted to the Federal Government on 28 February 2024.
A team from DLR Projektträger's Innovation Strategies and Transfer Department has been managing the BuFI office since 2016 in cross-divisional cooperation and in consortium with Prognos AG. The BuFI office prepares text drafts, manages the editorial process and coordinates consultations within the Federal Government. This is done by DLR Projektträger and Prognos AG on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
BuFI purely digital and interactive for the first time
For the first time, the BuFI is being published as a purely digital product. In cooperation with DLR Projektträger's internal IKT Software Development Service, the Federal Report's website has been expanded into a user-centred and interactive information platform on research and innovation in Germany.
Important elements of the platform, including a map-based database of German scientific institutions, were technically designed and implemented by DLR Projektträger. In addition, the website offers an overview of the research and innovation policies of the federal states as well as interactive graphics and diagrams and a web directory to further information.
Securing technological and digital sovereignty
In terms of content, the BuFI is aligned with the “Future Strategy for Research and Innovation”, with which the Federal Government has strategically reorganised its research and innovation funding in a mission-oriented manner.
The Federal Report points out that geopolitical and security policy changes have created new framework conditions for society, business and science. Against this backdrop, securing technological and digital sovereignty to avoid one-sided dependencies and developing technology in line with European values remains an important goal of German research and innovation policy. Increased research activity in the field of rapidly developing key technologies, especially artificial intelligence, is particularly important in this regard.
According to preliminary calculations, the state, industry and universities in Germany invested a total of 121.4 billion euros in research and development (R&D) in 2022. The provisional R&D ratio for 2022 is 3.13 per cent. In total, around 785,000 people were employed in research and development in 2022, more than ever before (in full-time equivalents).