Bundesministerin für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt
2026
DLR Projektträger
In this respect, the 2026 edition represents a particularly significant step forward. For the first time, the report is being published in a fully digital format, featuring a range of new functions designed to enhance its usability. With this modernisation, we are taking a leading role in reporting within the Federal Republic of Germany.
In the global competition for knowledge, technology and value creation, the Federal Report on Research and Innovation 2026 (BuFI) shows that Germany has a high-performing research and innovation system and is continuing to expand it in the face of growing competition. The Federal Government’s report provides a clear overview of the structures, developments and key measures of federal and state research and innovation policy. It classifies policy initiatives and takes up recommendations from the Expert Commission on Research and Innovation (EFI).
The BuFI provides a sound basis for strategic decisions and illustrates how research and innovation strengthen competitiveness, resilience and technological sovereignty.
Prognos, together with the DLR Project Management Agency, acts as the secretariat for the Federal Report.
Germany remains one of the world’s leading innovation hubs. The BuFI 2026 documents a steady upward trend in key indicators:
At the same time, Germany’s slight decline in the innovation rankings shows that international competition has intensified. Furthermore, hurdles remain, for example in the transfer of research results.
The private sector accounts for the bulk of R&D activities, supplemented by significant contributions from universities and public institutions. The performance of the German R&T system (research and teaching) is based on the interaction between the various sectors and stakeholders.
With the new High-Tech Agenda Germany, the Federal Government is focusing its research and innovation policy on key future technologies and fields of application.
The aim is to build on Germany’s technological strengths, accelerate the transfer of results into practice and secure international competitiveness. In parallel, the Government is improving the framework conditions for innovation, securing a skilled workforce and intensifying international cooperation.
As the secretariat, we support the BMFTR in producing the BuFI in collaboration with the DLR Project Management Agency. We coordinate editorial processes, work on draft texts and the graphic design. In addition, there are online offers that catalogue research institutions in Germany, compile key statistics and present research and innovation in the federal states. This year, the BuFI is being published for the first time as a fully digital report with new navigation and interaction features.
To the report (in German)
To the summary (in German)
Further information on the BMFTR website
Project team: Nils-Erik Carlhoff, Annalena Fuchs, Maria Henker, Jakobus Jaspersen, Paul Möhlmann, Ralph Rautenberg
Last updated: 03.06.2026
Principal
Project Manager
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