Frequently Asked Questions

The High-Tech Agenda Germany is the German Federal Government’s flagship innovation initiative. It addresses current economic challenges and highlights technological potential. It brings together the strengths of various stakeholders across six key technologies to strengthen Germany’s innovative capacity. The aim of the High-Tech Agenda Germany is to achieve greater competitiveness, added value and technological sovereignty through research and innovative technologies.

The High-Tech Agenda Germany aims to unite the forces within our country in order to strengthen our capacity for innovation, maintain our competitiveness and safeguard our prosperity. It addresses key challenges facing our society whilst promoting its technological potential. The focus here is on all stakeholders joining forces – right up to the European level – and on a shared understanding of the measures required to consolidate Germany’s position as a nation of technological innovation, to ensure technological independence and to maintain economic strength. The High-Tech Agenda therefore serves as a guide for technological, economic and societal objectives.

The High-Tech Agenda for Germany supports cutting-edge research. This research is often extremely complex, resource-intensive and time-consuming. However, it is not an end in itself, as research breakthroughs in key technologies and research fields bring tangible improvements for us all: for example, diseases can be diagnosed, treated and cured more quickly and accurately; the energy supply of the future can be secured through research breakthroughs; communications can be made secure against eavesdropping; and agriculture can be optimised so that we continue to have sufficient food available even in the face of significant changes in the weather.

Research and innovation have a positive impact on every aspect of our lives. Even when we do not directly feel or see it, because progress is hidden away in artificial intelligence, microchips, microorganisms or quantum technology.

New technologies and products from Germany and Europe increase our independence, strengthen our competitiveness, create jobs and thus contribute to the common good. To ensure that citizens can continue to benefit from innovations ‘Made in Germany’, the Federal Government has launched the High-Tech Agenda Germany.

The six Key Technologies were selected on the basis of their potential for technological innovation and their potential applications in addressing key societal challenges. Through new (high-tech) developments in these technological fields, Germany aims to enhance its competitiveness and technological autonomy and to tackle priority areas of life such as health, climate protection and energy supply (see also Strategic Research Fields).

The High-Tech Agenda Germany initially focuses on the six priority key technologies that are particularly relevant to Germany as a business location in the current geopolitical situation. These may be amended or expanded in line with future developments in the wider context. To this end, strategic foresight methods will be employed, and there will be regular dialogue with relevant stakeholders from the worlds of science, business, politics and society, as well as with the federal states and European partners.

Technological sovereignty creates transparency, traceability and control over infrastructure and data; it safeguards confidentiality; promotes security and resilience; and reduces dependence on individual actors and platforms. It is also crucial to the security, defence and competitiveness of Germany and Europe.