Innovation alliances and strategic partnerships mobilise private capital

Innovation alliances form a new instrument for research and innovation policy within the framework of the High-Tech Strategy. The emphasis in these strategic alliances between science and business is in all cases toward specific application areas or future markets. Innovation alliances exercise a particular economic leverage effect. The target is: One euro from the Federal Government, five euros from business.

Together with the BMBF, the scientific and business communities created a total of six innovation alliances in 2007 and another three in 2008. A contribution of EUR 600 million from the Federal Government has attracted more than EUR 3 billion from business. It is also important to set the right focus. Take the example of climate protection/energy: The innovation alliances have contributed substantially to energy-efficient lighting (OLED initiative), the use of renewable energy (organic photovoltaics) and the storage of energy (lithium-ion batteries).

The pre-condition for an innovation alliance is prior commitment by the business community at executive board level to provide further financial investment. In this way a whole new quality of obligation arises. This is also of central importance for SMEs, since knowledge of future technological developments together with this commitment from large companies enables SMEs to remove some of the uncertainty from the high level of risk involved in R&D investment decisions.

In addition to the innovation alliances, the Federal Government also supports other forms of strategic partnerships between politics, business and science. It is increasingly necessary to combine elements of research funding with elements of departmental research in order to achieve important political objectives in addition to achieving the aims of science and research funding. Examples include energy-efficient construction, affordable mobility, and more attractive local public transport.

With innovation alliances and strategic partnerships existing strengths are brought together, consolidated and channelled into concrete results in order to strengthen Germany's leadership in innovation in the relevant field.