TODAY: Presentation of the EFI's annual report to the German federal government!
The Commission of Experts (EFI) provides scientific policy advice to the German federal government and publishes an annual report on research, innovation, and technological performance in Germany. The EFI's main task is to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the German innovation system in an international and temporal comparison and to assess the prospects for 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 examines competition and innovation in the German higher education system, European research and innovation policy, and the so-called 28th regime for the European single market.
Translating scientific findings into practical applications is a key factor in Germany's innovative strength, and universities play a central role in this process. In its latest annual report, the Expert Commission on Research and Innovation (EFI) shows that German universities have great potential for knowledge transfer. "Universities with strong research capabilities occupy a leading position in both patent applications and scientific publications cited in patents," notes Prof. Dr. Guido Bünstorf, member of the EFI and professor at the University of Kassel, emphasizing that "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 barriers 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 knowledge and technology transfer as a core task of universities.
The analyses in this year's report focus not only on Germany, but also on the European research and innovation system. In its 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 leeway 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 constraints, as well as on transparent and quality-assured selection procedures," explains EFI member Prof. Dr. Guido Bünstorf. "However, international developments—for example, in the US—painfully remind us how fragile the freedom of research and research funding is." The ERC also has potential gateways for political influence. "In order to ensure the scientific excellence and independence of the ERC in the long term, we recommend granting it 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 (known as the 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 does not impose complicated access criteria that lead to additional bureaucratic burdens.
"If a majority cannot be found for a 28th regime within the EU, we recommend implementation in cooperation with selected partner countries. Another possibility would be a joint German-French 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 states could then join.
Source: EFI-Presseinformationen 11.2.2026
Contact: Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI)
Dr. Helge Dauchert
Head of EFI oFFICE Pariser Platz 6 | 10117 Berlin
T +49 (0) 30 322 982 562
helge.dauchert@e-fi.de www.e-fi.de
Find more Information at the Website of EFI…
