30.07.2026 – "From the perspective of businesses, the assessment of the Hightech Agenda Germany (HTAD) after one year is mixed. The Federal Government has undoubtedly created an important strategic framework with the agenda to strengthen innovative capacity and thereby enhance the competitiveness of the German economy. Additionally, the accompanying levers and roadmaps are moving in the right direction.

However, many measures remain too vague and insufficiently geared towards SMEs even after a year. We need significantly more speed here. This applies especially to accelerating transfers and spin-offs, reducing bureaucracy, mobilizing venture capital, and improving business access to research infrastructures.

For the Hightech Agenda to unleash its full impact, it's also essential to strengthen Germany as an innovation hub overall. This can only be achieved by consistently removing structural barriers to innovation. At the top of the business to-do list are less bureaucracy, faster planning and approval processes, competitive energy costs, and significantly better protection of intellectual property. This is crucial for getting the German economy back on a growth track.

Therefore, announced projects such as the Federal Experimentation Act should be swiftly implemented, and funding programs and research infrastructures should be sustainably strengthened.

The success of the HTAD depends on its rapid implementation with binding guidelines, sufficient financial resources, and a much stronger focus on the practical needs of businesses. Companies need reliability to fully harness their existing innovation potential."