Germany’s innovation leaders 2022

Our mission

The global economy remains on the move. The Corona pandemic and new geopolitical conflicts have done nothing to change this. New competitors appear on the market. Radical technological innovations are on the horizon. Innovation strength is the most important competitive advantage for German companies. The aim of the study was to provide a sound overview of German innovation leaders. For the study, Prognos has once again cooperated as a scientific partner with the F.A.Z.-Institute and the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research.

Our approach

The database is formed from patents. They provide a unique view of the research and development results of companies – an area that is often kept secret. We have evaluated all patents filed by companies and research institutions worldwide within the last ten years.

For the evaluation we use scientifically sound measurement concepts. On the one hand, it is about the novelty of innovation and on the other about the influence on other companies (leadership). We distinguish 500 areas of knowledge and technology where we identify the innovation leaders.

German innovation leaders are companies and research institutions that have been cited by others at an above average rate and have registered above-average innovative inventions. In addition, they must cooperate with German inventors.

Core results

We investigated nearly 180,000 innovative companies worldwide, of which 3,050 have been identified as innovation leaders. The innovation leaders were identified for around 500 technology fields. If a company is active in several fields, it can also be an innovation leader in several fields. Siemens AG, Audi AG, and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft shape most technology fields in Germany. Other very important innovation leaders include Robert Bosch GmbH or the German Aerospace Centre.