Innovation Trends, Technological Sovereignty and Science Studies

The Business Unit is coordinated by Dr. Henning Kroll.

The Business Unit Innovation Trends, Technological Sovereignty, and Science Studies focuses on identifying thematic development trends within the innovation system in order to provide robust empirical evidence for policy decision-making and the strategic prioritization of technology fields. At the same time, against the backdrop of increasingly conflictual geopolitical developments, it examines strategic dependencies and explores which capacities and competence clusters in Germany and Europe need to be strengthened to ensure technological sovereignty.

Using both established and newly developed methodologies, the field investigates which activities in science and industry are currently gaining significance, the international dependency structures in which German and European actors operate, and how they can actively contribute to shaping emerging markets. A particular focus lies on assessing the contributions that scientific and economic actors can make towards achieving government-defined objectives in the area of strategic autonomy.

Another key area of activity is empirical research on science systems, analyses of higher education governance, and the study of cooperation relationships among different actors at the regional, national, and international levels. Based on this work, the field contributes to policy debates and policy development concerning science-industry collaboration, international cooperation, and the creation of evidence-based impact models within impact research.

At the core of its methodological development is the theoretically grounded operationalization of relevant research questions, enabling them to be measured quantitatively and used as a basis for evidence-based decision-making. One focus area is the scientifically validated, LLM-supported analysis of texts and other quantitative data sources. Another focus is the development of quantitative indicators for assessing the performance of science systems, the technological sovereignty of economies, and their positioning within international cooperation networks. Within the overall strategy of the Department of Innovation and Knowledge Economy, the field makes a central contribution by empirically contextualizing economic activities and trends within their broader societal and geopolitical environment.