Ambitious Cutting-Edge Research

In 2023, spending on research accounted for 3.1% of Germany’s GPD. The intention is for this to rise to 3.5% by 2030. This puts Germany among a leading group of nations that spend more than 3% of GDP on research and development (R&D). Germany also ranks tenth internationally among the world’s most research-intensive economies. In 2023, spending on R&D in Germany amounted to just under 130 billion euros. Of this total,

• 88.7 billion euros was spent by the business sector,
• 22.4 billion was spent by higher education institutions, and
• 18.6 billion euros was spent by non-university, public and publicly funded research institutions.

The strength ofcutting-edge research in Germany is reflected in the number of publications produced by researchers. In the 2025 “Nature Index”, which evalu­ates the publication performance of research and higher education institutions, Germany was ranked highest in Europe. Against its international competitors, Germany is ranked third, behind the front runners China and the US.

Since 2023, the German government’s “Future Research and Innovation Strategy” has been the central document guiding German research and innovation policy. It replaces the “High-Tech Strategy” that was previously in place and focuses more on an innovation policy that addresses specific societal challenges. The goal is to combine scientific excellence with social impact in an even more targeted manner and to steer innovation processes across the different ministries. To this end, the Future Strategy defines six priority goals, strengthens strategic dialogue between policymakers, science, business and civil society and makes innovation more impact-oriented:

1. enabling a resource-efficient, circular economy-based and competitive industry and sustainable mobility
2. spearheading climate protection, climate adjustment, food security and the preservation of biodiversity
3. improving health for everyone
4. securing Germany’s and Europe’s digital and technological sovereignty and harnessing the potential of digitalisation
5. strengthening astronautics, exploring, protecting and sustainably using space and oceans
6. strengthening social resilience, diversity and cohesion

This is intended to ensure that Germany remains internationally competitive, while at the same time actively shaping key future issues.