30 October 2025 — „Innovation leadership is the aim, and only option for Germany. Innovation policy is the highest priority for the Federal Government in order to guarantee the ability to act sovereignly .… Technological progress,“ says Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor „is crucial for increasing the growth potential of the German economy.“
Together with Research Minister Dorothee Bär, he launched the High-Tech Agenda Deutschland (HTAD) today in Berlin intending to promote key technologies and enabling breakthrough in the coming years.
The HTAD Plan:
▪️ €18 bn total investment until 2029
▪️ €2 bn per year from the regular federal budget to fund AI, quantum technology, biotechnology, microelectronics, batteries, climate-neutral energies such as nuclear fusion, and also CO2-free mobility.
▪️ €1.1 bn per year in addition from the Climate and Transformation Fund and an additional €1.4 bn from the German Special Fund to further build infrastructures and research ecosystems.
▪️ 3.1% of Germany’s total GDP is invested in R&D of which the HTAG invests approx. 12% in key technologies.
A real „paradigm shift in research policy“ that Merz calls it, was nothing I could see today. The gap between funding excellent research and translating it into real economic output is too large. A radical rethink and is necessary for the latter. Research and economic policy must be conceived and implemented simultaneously.
While Germany and Europe continue to conduct research and celebrate pocket money for funding, the US invest in a targeted manner and on an order of magnitude more and practice a pragmatic industrial policy that includes key technologies as important pillars for future economic growth.
Europe risks seeing up to 30% of current quantum startups die an unnatural death. And Germany’s vocabulary is based on inventions of old products. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of existing industries. Let’s build on our strengths and position deep tech, quantum technology, AI, etc., as fundamental pillars and drivers of our future economy.
With HTAD, the Scaleup Europe Fund, etc., Germany and Europe are on the right track, but in addition to excellent research policies, we need an ambitious and pragmatic industrial policy for deep tech, cybersecurity, quantum technology, AI, defense tech, and beyond.
QBN is glad to be able to helping the German government create a supportive environment for a thriving economy enabled by quantum technology and AI while driving commercialisation, adoption, and market development. Quantum technologies and AI must be top priorities!
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Mila Korunovska
Marketing & Event Manager
+49 176 8499 6747
m.korunovska@qbn.world
www.qbn.world
