The Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI ) provides scientific policy advice to the Federal Government and presents an annual report on research, innovation and Germany's technological performance. The main task of the EFI is to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the German innovation system in an international and chronological comparison and to evaluate the prospects of Germany as a location for research and innovation. On this basis, the EFI develops proposals for national research and innovation policy.

Among other topics, the 2026 report focuses on competition and innovation in the German higher education system as well as European research and innovation policy and the so-called 28th regime for the European Single Market.

Translating scientific findings into application is a key success factor for Germany's innovative strength and universities are key players in this process. In its current annual report, the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI) shows that German universities have a high transfer potential. "Universities that are strong in research occupy a leading position both in terms of patent applications and scientific publications cited in patents," states Prof. Dr. Guido Bünstorf, member of the EFI and Professor at the University of Kassel, and emphasizes: "Especially in application-oriented basic research, scientific excellence often goes hand in hand with concrete application potential. Many technological breakthroughs - from lasers to mRNA vaccines - have emerged from this type of research." However, the potential is often not exploited consistently enough. Structural obstacles such as lengthy intellectual property negotiations and a lack of incentives slow down transfer activities. The EFI is therefore calling for targeted reforms to effectively strengthen research and technology transfer as a core task of universities.

The analyses in this year's report are not only focused on Germany, but also include the European research and innovation system. In its current annual report, the Expert Commission calls for the conditions for breakthrough innovations in the EU to be optimized and for the European Innovation Council (EIC) to be given more room for manoeuvre in the future. It also calls for the excellence and independence of the European Research Council (ERC) to be safeguarded.

"The success of the ERC is largely based on its independence from political, regional or thematic guidelines as well as on transparent and quality-assured selection procedures," explains EFI member Prof. Dr. Guido Bünstorf. "However, international developments - for example in the USA - are a painful reminder of how fragile the freedom of research and research funding is." The ERC is also a potential gateway for political influence. "In order to secure the scientific excellence and independence of the ERC in the long term, we recommend giving it an independent status - comparable to that of the European Investment Bank - and providing it with a stable long-term budget," says Bünstorf.

The EFI also supports the introduction of a uniform, EU-wide legal form for companies (so-called 28th regime) to help start-ups scale their business models across Europe. However, it is important that a 28th regime is geared towards the needs of start-ups and dispenses with complicated access criteria that lead to additional bureaucratic burdens.

"If there is no majority for a 28th regime within the EU, we recommend implementing it in cooperation with selected partner countries. Another option would be a joint Franco-German harmonization initiative," explains Prof. Irene Bertschek, Chair of the EFI. This would initially create a uniform legal framework for French and German start-ups, which other EU countries could then join.

Source: EFI press release 11.2.2026

Contact: Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI)

Dr. Helge Dauchert

Head of the office Pariser Platz 6 | 10117 Berlin

T +49 (0) 30 322 982 562

helge.dauchert@e-fi.de www.e-fi.de

Further links:

EFI expert Bünstorf: Making better use of the transfer potential of universities

To the EFI press release "From Research to Value Creation: Leveraging the Transfer Potential of German Universities"

To the EFI press release "For a more innovative Europe"

Press releases on the other topics of the report and the full text of the report can be found on the EFI website...

Registration for the public presentation on 12.2.2026 2 pm (online)