Prof. Dr. Guido Bünstorf reappointed to the Expert Commission on Research and Innovation (EFI)
Image: Sonja RohdeProf. Dr. Oliver Falck and Prof. Dr. Nadine Kammerlander have been appointed as new members. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter is stepping down from the EFI as scheduled. EFI Chair Prof. Dr. Irene Bertschek of the ZEW in Mannheim and the University of Giessen comments: “With the new appointments of Oliver Falck and Nadine Kammerlander, as well as the reappointment of Guido Bünstorf, the EFI is ideally positioned to work on the 2027 Annual Report. I would like to thank Friederike Welter for her expertise, the constructive discussions, and the trusting collaboration over the past four years.”
The Expert Commission on Research and Innovation (EFI), based in Berlin, has been providing scientific policy advice to the federal government since 2008 and publishes an annual report on research, innovation, and Germany’s technological performance. The EFI’s primary task is to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the German innovation system in international and historical comparison and to assess the prospects for Germany as a center for research and innovation. On this basis, the EFI develops proposals for national research and innovation policy.
Prof. Dr. Guido Bünstorf, who has been a member of the expert panel since 2022, heads the Department of Economic Policy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Kassel and serves as spokesperson for the board of the International Center for Higher Education Research (INCHER). His research and teaching focus on the intersections of innovation, higher education, and science research, as well as entrepreneurship and regional economics. His research focuses on the developmental dynamics of innovative markets and industries, as well as the importance of knowledge transfer between universities and businesses. “In times of technological and economic upheaval, the German research and innovation system must be further developed and its performance strengthened. Through my work at the EFI, I would like to continue contributing to this effort,” says Guido Bünstorf.
The newly appointed members: Prof. Dr. Oliver Falck is Director of the ifo Center for Innovation Economics and Digital Transformation and Professor of Innovation, Labor Economics, and Applied Microeconomics in the Faculty of Economics at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Prof. Dr. Nadine Kammerlander heads the Institute for Family Businesses and SMEs as well as the Chair of Family Businesses at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. She holds a degree in physics and a Ph.D. in business administration and has experience in management consulting.
INCHER member Maria Theißen has been assisting Guido Bünstorf with his work for the EFI since April 2024. Since August 2026, she has also been working as a research associate at the EFI-Office.