Online Panel Discussion: “A New Era for Research and Innovation? Innovation Policy in the USA and Germany After the Pandemic”

July 8th from 17:00 - 18:00 CEST/ 11:00 – 12.00 EDT

Co-organized by German U15 and German Center for Science and Innovation (DWIH) New York

Join us July 8 at 5PM CEST for a discussion with leading experts from Germany and the US on the current status and the future of science and innovation policy, universities and basic research.

Please register here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We’re excited to welcome you to a discussion on the current status and the future of science and innovation policy, universities and basic research, featuring:

• Kathleen Kennedy, Executive Director, MIT Center for Collective Intelligence
• Dr. Rena Conti, Associate Research Director, Institute for Health System Innovation and Policy, Boston University
• Prof. Dr. Georg Krausch, President of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Chair of German U15
• Moderated by: Dr. Jan Wöpking, Managing Director, German U15

The year 2021 marks significant political changes in both Germany and the US: the start of a new administration under President Biden and the September federal election in Germany which will mark the end of Angela Merkel’s chancellorship after sixteen years in office.

During the global pandemic, science and the tireless work of researchers in both countries have become essential to finding cures and solutions. The world quickly learned that large scale challenges cannot be faced alone and that international collaboration is more important than ever. One of the most prominent examples of transatlantic collaboration is the partnership between BioNTech from Germany and the US company Pfizer, who together developed the first mRNA-based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 that is saving lives around the world. 

In the U.S., concern about the erosion of America’s innovation dominance led policymakers to propose a massive investment boost for research to strengthen the country's competitive edge over China. And in Germany, discussions are beginning about lessons to be learned from the pandemic: Does R&I policy need to be more agile and mission-oriented? Or does the success of BioNTech teach us how important visionary basic research is?

Does Europe also need investment pushes similar to those in China and the USA? What are the goals that the U.S. wants to achieve with investments in basic and technology research? What instruments do we need to promote the transfer of research into applications, especially also in biotechnology and the life sciences?