Industry-Science Research Alliance

High-technology products are the lifeblood of the German economy. That is why innovations are a basic prerequisite for economic and social prosperity in our country. The good framework conditions and the transfer opportunities from science to industry make Germany a successful high-tech location. In order to maintain this status and increase Germany's innovativeness, Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan initiated the "Industry-Science Research Alliance" in 2006. It is a forum in which leading representatives from science and industry propose strategies for strengthening Germany as a high-tech location.

The Federal Government backs research and innovation in Germany in order to be able to meet global challenges, enhance economic development, and improve people's quality of life. Science, industry and politics are working together to find the best strategies to achieve this goal. Good ideas need to be turned into good products more successfully than in the past. That is why the Federal Government is integrating the innovation know-how of the science and business communities into its research policy in a targeted way.

1. Front row from left to right: Thomas Rachel, Karl-Heinz Lust, Manfred Wittenstein, Professor Jürgen Mlynek, Klaus Franz, Professor Günter Stock
Second row from left to right: Willi Berchtold, Dr Arend Oetker, Professor Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff, Professor Annette Schavan, Professor Hans-Jörg Bullinger, Professor Sigmar Wittig
Third row from left to right: Professor Frieder Meyer-Krahmer, Professor Wolfgang Wahlster, Dr Stefan Marcinowski, Dr Dieter Kurz

Hightech Strategy Conference 2009

On 23 June 2006, Federal Minister of Education and Research Annette Schavan invited leading representatives from science and industry to the first meeting of a new advisory group, the Industry-Science Research Alliance. Since then, the Alliance has been accompanying the Federal Government's High-Tech Strategy, which brings together a number of interdepartmental initiatives in the field of innovation policy. The basic aim is to improve the links between science and industry.

The Research Alliance identifies obstacles to innovation, defines research tasks, and offers concrete recommendations to science, industry and politics. Each member of the Research Alliance acts as a "promoter" for one or more fields of innovation and cross-cutting areas of the High-Tech Strategy. The promoters develop suitable recommendations for the Federal Government in their respective areas of responsibility. The work of the Research Alliance helps to create stronger links between skills and knowledge related to research and innovation. In the dialogue between science, industry and politics, new opportunities and existing obstacles to growth are identified. This helps create the conditions necessary to ensure that more ideas are realized in Germany. The members of the Research Alliance firmly believe that Germany will continue to be a key player in the most important markets of the future.

• Members of the Research Alliance

  Federal Research Minister Professor Annette Schavan established the Industry-Science Research Alliance in order to promote closer links between knowledge and skills related to research and innovation. It is a forum in which leading representatives from science, industry and politics discuss potential strategies for strengthening Germany as a high-tech location. The Research Alliance includes 19 members from the spheres of science and industry. They are responsible for accompanying the implementation of the High-Tech Strategy.
  more (URL: http://www.forschungsunion.de/mitglieder/index.html)