With the 5.64% allocation of its GDP to research and development, Baden-Württemberg ranks number one for research intensity in Germany and has been among the leaders in Europe for many years.
The federal state pursues a strategic science and research policy aimed at research excellence and the development of research on key enabling technologies, vigorously intensifying this in recent years. To achieve its goals in these areas as it undergoes economic structural change, Baden-Württemberg is pursuing research and innovation, higher education, and qualification programmes.
Key strategic topics in this context are digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), the transformation of mobility, the life sciences and the quantum sciences. Baden-Württemberg is investing a considerable amount of funding into these areas by establishing five internationally recognised innovation campus projects as flagships of cutting-edge research in strategically relevant areas. The regional strengths of the various universities and research groups, the private sector and civil society are being networked in innovation ecosystems. The first AI innovation campus, Cyber Valley, founded in 2016 in the Stuttgart/Tübingen area, has gained international recognition as an innovation ecosystem and is now Europe’s largest research consortium in the field of artificial intelligence.
The federal state is also promoting interdisciplinary and cross-locational collaboration between research and teaching, healthcare, and the private sector in the area of university medicine through the strategic dialogue platform Forum Health Region Baden-Württemberg and through the establishment of the University Medicine Association as the peak body for university clinics and medical faculties.
Baden-Württemberg prioritises the promotion of scientific excellence at the various universities and non-university research institutions and offers comprehensive support to researchers and institutions in the competitive process of securing third-party funding. In this regard, the state will continue to rely on a strong European research policy, participation in EU programmes and the internationalisation of its (European) universities and research institutions.
Baden-Württemberg’s priorities in higher education policy also include the promotion of emerging researchers and the creation of greater freedom for researchers and lecturers as a prerequisite for scientific creativity and innovative drive – especially through reliable funding and appropriate legal frameworks. This is why the state government regularly advocates for legislative measures that promote research and innovation at the level of both the Federal Government and the EU. The state also supports its researchers and the processes required for sustainable change in the economy and society by funding clusters and networks, strengthening technology transfer offices, incubators and accelerators, and by funding real-world laboratories that create practice-based experimental spaces.
The higher education institutions in the state have a high degree of autonomy and independently develop their own profiles. Under the Higher Education Financing Agreement II, the basic funding of higher education institutions will be increased by 3.5% per year up to and including 2025. This allows Baden-Württemberg to secure and strengthen its financial footing and increase its planning security. The research landscape also boasts a large number of excellent non-university research facilities. The diverse range of industry-facing research institutions in Baden-Württemberg form an important bridge between science and industry and are key drivers of technology transfer and innovative strength in the state.