Germany’s leading advisory body for research and innovation is shifting its focus towards securing leadership in key technologies and accelerating digitalization, according to its newly appointed chair, Irene Bertschek.
Bertschek, a digital economist from the ZEW Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim, is taking over from Uwe Cantner as head of the Expert Commission for Research and Innovation (EFI). She emphasized the need to reduce reliance on the United States and China in crucial technological sectors, while carefully considering the necessary steps to achieve this.
Speaking to the “Handelsblatt” newspaper, Bertschek noted Germany’s research in artificial intelligence is “not bad” but other nations are taking the lead. She stressed the necessity of substantial investment in computing infrastructure to maintain competitiveness and criticized a lack of national coordination in applying for EU AI Factories, warning it diminishes the country’s chances of success.
Furthermore, Bertschek highlighted Germany’s underutilization of its data resources, attributing this to a stricter interpretation of GDPR regulations compared to countries like Finland or Denmark.
She welcomed the government’s commitment to increase overall research and development spending to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product, but cautioned that the effectiveness of this investment hinges on its allocation. Focusing funds on outdated technologies, such as internal combustion engines, would, in her view, be a misdirection of resources from genuine innovation.