[ Advertisement ] North Rhine-Westphalia as a driver of innovation – every fourth award goes to the west of Germany. But not all German states can keep up: While NRW, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria dominate, structurally weaker states such as Saxony-Anhalt are lagging behind. The German Innovation Award shows where progress is being made – and where there is a need to catch up.
Who are the drivers of innovation in Germany? A look at the entries for the German Innovation Award provides some insight: North Rhine-Westphalia leads the way with 25 per cent of the awards, closely followed by Baden-Württemberg (21 per cent) and Bavaria (19 per cent). The picture is similar at city level: Munich dominates with 5.5 per cent of winning projects, followed by Berlin (3 per cent), Hannover and Stuttgart (2.5 per cent each). Düsseldorf completes the top 5 with 2 per cent.
These geographical differences reflect a deeper reality. The German Innovation Award, which has been the platform for more than 1,200 awards since 2018, shows not only where progress is being made, but also where Germany is falling short of its potential.
Germany’s research and development landscape is dominated by the economic centres in the south and west. Baden-Württemberg invests the most in R&D with €27.1 billion (5.64% of GDP), followed by Bavaria with €21.1 billion (3.39% of GDP) and North Rhine-Westphalia with €18.1 billion (2.21% of GDP).
However, the contrast with structurally weaker regions could hardly be greater: Saxony-Anhalt invests just €1.3 billion (1.59 per cent of GDP), while Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania invests even less at €0.9 billion (1.77 per cent of GDP).
The data show that economically strong regions benefit from better infrastructure, international networking and targeted support measures. At the same time, the BDI’s Innovation Indicator 2024 gives cause for concern: Germany is falling behind in an international comparison and is only ranked 13th – behind countries such as South Korea, the USA and Switzerland.
The German Innovation Award is not only a platform for outstanding projects, but also a wake-up call. In order to survive in global competition, Germany must overcome its regional differences and strategically rethink how it promotes innovation. Companies have until 31 January 2025 to submit their projects and become part of this success story: anmeldung.german-innovation-award.de.
Since 2018, more than 1,200 projects have been honoured with the German Innovation Award. The data shows a clear regional focus:
The Top 5 Most Innovative Federal States:
- North Rhine-Westphalia: 25 %
- Baden-Württemberg: 21 %
- Bavaria: 19 %
- Hesse: 11 %
- Lower Saxony: 6,5 %
The Top 5 Most Innovative Cities:
- Munich: 5,5 %
- Berlin: 3 %
- Hannover: 2,5 %
- Stuttgart: 2,5 %
- Düsseldorf: 2 %
The data is based on internal analyses of the German Innovation Award, which have been collected since 2018 on the basis of more than 1,200 awards. Categories, key figures and regional distributions were systematically analysed to identify the main areas of innovation in Germany.
Sources:
Innovationsindikator 2024 des BDI, Quelle: BDI Artikel: Innovationsindikator 2024 – Deutschlands Innovationsfähigkeit erodiert weiter
Innovationsindikator 2024 des BDI, Quelle: BDI Artikel: Innovationsindikator 2024 – Deutschlands Innovationsfähigkeit erodiert weiter
Statistiken zu den F&E-Ausgaben der Bundesländer, Quelle: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): Forschung und Entwicklung – Interne F&E-Ausgaben der Bundesländer 2022
Bundesbericht Forschung und Innovation 2024, Quelle: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung: Bundesbericht Forschung und Innovation 2024
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