![[Translate to English:] EFI Gutachten](fileadmin/mc/innovation_systems/2021_ISP_News_und_Events/Gutachten_EFI.jpeg)
On 24 February, the annual report on research and innovation was handed over to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. One focus this year was the so-called "Agile Research and Innovation Policy" (R&I Policy). This contribution builds in significant parts on a background study led by the AIT Center for Innovation Systems & Policy and conducted jointly with the FU Berlin. The agility concept shows ways in which policy could react much more flexibly and responsively to current challenges such as digitalisation or the COVID crisis.
Why an "agile" research and innovation policy is needed
We are facing major challenges such as the progress of digitalisation, climate change or social injustice. "We can only cope with all of this if we have a policy that reacts quickly and flexibly to changing demands from society and the economy without losing sight of long-term goals. That is the only way we can prepare the ground for far-reaching processes of change," says study author and Head of AIT Center for Innovation Systems & Policy Matthias Weber. So far, however, a comprehensive and implementable concept for this has been missing.
Concept with strategies and concrete recommendations for action
One focus of the report by the Expert Commission on Research and Innovation, which was handed over to German Chancellor Merkel on Wednesday 24 February is the concept of "agile Research & Innovation policy". The concept distinguishes between several levels of agile action, ranging from goal definition and strategy to concrete options for action and their implementation.
Case studies show how it can be done and what is still needed
In addition, numerous international case studies were examined, which provided a number of interesting indications on agile R&I policy practices. "We could see that there are several levers to make the policy system more agile: e.g. involve as many stakeholders as possible in decision-making at an early stage, create spaces for experimentation, or establish higher-level coordination and decision-making functions across several ministries. However, a basic requirement for agility in the area of tension between stability and flexibility is the willingness to learn and change," says Matthias Weber.
About the study
The study "Agility in R&I Policy: Concept, Definition, Operationalisation" was prepared by AIT on behalf of the Expert Commission on Research and Innovation and is available online (in German).