The Strategy

The aim of Germany's High-Tech Strategy (HTS) is to create lead markets, intensify cooperation between science and industry, and continue to improve the general conditions for innovation.

Enlarge image Europe 2020 strategy (© picture-alliance/dpa)

The High-Tech Strategy was launched in August 2006, being the first national concept to rally the key stakeholders involved in innovation around a common idea. On July 14, 2010, the German Cabinet decided to continue along this successful path. The new High-Tech Strategy 2020 will ensure the continuity of the overall approach and, at the same time, set new priorities.

Germany aspires to be the leading provider of science- and technology-based solutions in the areas of climate/energy, health/nutrition, mobility, security, and communication.

As such forward-looking projects in selected areas will be the focus of future research and innovation policy. These projects pursue specific objectives related to scientific and technological development over a period of ten to fifteen yearsStrategies for innovation are being developed and steps towards their realization planned in concrete cases

The High-Tech Strategy has formulated the following central examples of forward-looking projects:

    * CO2-neutral, energy-efficient and climate-adapted cities
    * The intelligent restructuring of the energy supply system
    * Renewable resources as an alternative to oil
    * Treating illnesses more effectively with the help of individualized medicine
    * Better health through an optimized diet
    * Living an independent life well into old age
    * A million electric vehicles in Germany by 2020
    * More effective protection of communication networks
    * Increasing Internet use whilst making it less energy consuming
    * Making global knowledge digitally available and accessible
    * Tomorrow's working world and its structur

Enlarge image Data cable (© picture-alliance/dpa) National and European research and innovation policies are being closely linked. Europe 2020 is an ambitious process started by the European Commission and the European Council with the aim of putting education, research and innovation at the centre of European growth policy. On this basis, Germany will contribute to a coherent research and innovation policy in Europe.

The general conditions for innovation in Germany are being improved even further. In particular, this refers to the conditions for setting up businesses, the special circumstances of SMEs, sufficient funding for innovations, and the provision of venture capital.

Not least, research and innovation depend on an intensive dialogue with society. To this end, new dialogue platforms are being created so that the general population can become more involved and bring its own ideas into the debate about emerging technologies and research results that can contribute to meeting the great global and societal challenges of our time.