Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg is by far one of the European leaders in research and innovation, with expenditure on research and development (R&D) at 5.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP). The state has pursued a strategic research and science policy for decades and has intensified this effort in recent years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional funding volume of well over 300 million euros was made available for R&D projects under the innovation programme ‘Zukunftsland BW’.

Baden-Württemberg’s research and innovation policy aims at research excellence and the expansion of research into key enabling technologies. As it undergoes economic structural change, the state is pursuing research and innovation, higher education and qualification programmes. In this context, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, the transformation of mobility, the life sciences and the quantum sciences are strategic, cross-disciplinary topics.

The state is currently investing a considerable amount of funding into establishing three internationally appealing innovation campus projects as flagships of cutting-edge research in strategically relevant areas. With added value for the entire state, the regional strengths of the respective universities, research groups, the private sector and civil society are being networked in the form of innovation ecosystems. The first project, Cyber Valley, has already gained international recognition.

Baden-Württemberg consistently scores among the top positions in the university medicine rankings. The state has set up a forum on ‘Baden-Württemberg as a health location’ and has newly created the umbrella programme ‘University Medicine Baden-Württemberg’, for which the state alone has earmarked an additional 80 million euros.

Baden-Württemberg pursues scientific excellence in the field of higher education and in its numerous non-university institutions. The state’s strategic goals also include the promotion of emerging researchers and the creation of greater freedom for researchers and lecturers as a prerequisite for scientific creativity – especially through reliable funding and appropriate legal frameworks. Baden-Württemberg will continue to rely on a strong European research policy, on participation in EU programmes and on the internationalisation of its (European) universities and research institutions.

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. By improving the basic funding conditions, Baden-Württemberg is securing and strengthening the financial base of its universities and increasing their planning security.

Through its cluster and network strategy, the state government is supporting both the networking of science, business and other actors and cooperative research projects. With the support of the private sector, a university platform for start-ups with European reach is being created so that research results can be translated into application more rapidly and more broadly as social and technical innovations.

Another important concern of the state government is fostering dialogue between the science community and civil society. Baden-Württemberg is therefore continuing its real-world labs, which have brought the science community and civil society together in a structured dialogue on the major challenges facing society.