Innovation Indicator 2017

Germany is one of the most innovative countries in the world; though it can’t differentiate itself from countries like the United States of America, Great Britain and the Republic of Korea.

This is one of the results of the Innovation Indicator 2017. Regarding the dissemination of the digitalization Germany is lagging behind compared to other industrial nations. This is shown by the digitalization indicator, which was designed exclusively for this report. The lag to Great Britain and the United States of America is particularly big. Needs for action for Germany are in the fields of research and technological development and education as well as infrastructure and state.

The study compares the innovation orientation and the innovative capability of 35 leading economies. Furthermore it formulates policy recommendations on how to strengthen the German competitiveness. The Innovation Indicator 2017 focuses on the digital transformation.

To make active use of chances and innovation opportunities of the digitalization, these must be shaped actively by the actors of the German economy, politics and society. Education and training, IT security and new business models are key challenges. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises need to catch up in this context.

The Innovation Indicator is a periodic comparative study of the  innovativeness. It was first published in the year 2000. It captures innovation conditions at the business location Germany and compares them through a ranking in the fields of economy, science, education, state and society as well as an overall indicator to the worldwide leading industrial nations and developing states. This provides a groundwork for innovation policy decisions. The Innovation Indicator is a cooperation of acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering and the BDI. The study is created by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in cooperation with the Centre for Economic Research (ZEW).