Pictures of the Future      Fall 2008

What Germany Must Do to Develop a Culture of Innovation

Interview with Jürgen Mlynek

Four years ago, your predecessor, Professor Walter Kröll, made a plea in our magazine for research that would put greater emphasis on innovation. He said that, in the scientific community, innovation should not be viewed solely as a by-product of scientific research. Do scientists in Germany have enough entrepreneurial spirit to turn good ideas into successful products?

Mlynek: In general, there is still no actual culture of innovation practiced at German universities and research institutes. As far as innovation and the transfer of technology and expertise goes, Germany has a mindset problem. Not all scientists are aware that findings in the lab could be intellectual property worth protecting. But applying for and publishing a patent must be an integral component of the culture of innovation. And unlike in the U.S., many researchers here are reluctant to form a company. There is more entrepreneurial spirit in the U.S., partly for historical reasons. After all, it was largely people with entrepreneurial spirit who immigrated to the land of unlimited opportunity. And that remains true today. The U.S. system is simply more dynamic.

Can you give an example of this?

Mlynek: Take clean technology, for example (see Pictures of the Future, Spring 2008, Clean Tech). Scientists, business people and providers of venture capital created a tight-knit cluster in Silicon Valley in California. At its core, this cluster is made up of top universities, surrounded by both small and large companies, plus an adequate amount of financial resources. As far as venture capital investments go, no region in the world achieves even approximately the orders of magnitude of Silicon Valley.

Nevertheless, business-university and venture capital clusters are developing in other places, such as the Munich biotech cluster...

Mlynek: Yes, that’s right. The Munich region has seen some wonderful development. But from the point of view of Germany as a whole, much more could be done. We have outstanding research here, and it has to be recognized and appreciated more often. In recent years, scientists have been much more willing to implement the results of basic research in applications and turn them into successful innovations in cooperation with the business community. So now and then, I’m surprised that German firms are still seeking their fortune in partnerships with foreign organizations.

Policy makers surely have a role to play…

Mlynek: Yes, and with its High-Tech Strategy, the Federal Government has reacted appropriately and laid some good groundwork for forging better links between science and business—with the aim of optimizing the transfer of research results into practical applications. In the associated Industry-Science Research Alliance, leading members of the business community—Siemens is represented by Professor Hermann Requardt—the scientific community and the political sphere are working together to implement the strategy in the form of concrete projects. The creation of a highly-developed innovation network is crucial in this regard. Incidentally, the Helmholtz Association has been cultivating such a network for a long time now. We’re currently engaged in over 2,000 cooperative projects with industry.

In what ways are you working with Siemens?

Mlynek: We’ve been working with Siemens for years in research related to healthcare, energy, key technologies, transport and aerospace. We’ve come to know Siemens as a partner we can work with over long periods on arduous projects, particularly in the field of medical technology (s. Magnetic Mission). But the partnership is bearing fruit in the field of energy too. For example, the solid oxide fuel cell was optimized in collaboration with the Jülich Research Center. And at the moment, Siemens and the German Aerospace Center are testing the combined operation of a fuel cell and a gas turbine. By 2010 they will be linked, and by 2012 construction of a demonstration power plant will begin (see Pictures of the Future, Spring 2007, Fuel Cell Power Plants). In another project that is being funded by Siemens, the Helmholtz Center in Potsdam is testing CO₂ sequestration (see Pictures of the Future, Spring 2008, CO₂ Sequestration). Helmholtz is an interesting partner for Siemens. After all, we’re active in all fields, from renewable energies to efficient power generation and conversion.

How can the science-to-industry transfer be strengthened in Germany?

Mlynek: A lot has been done in the last few years. Today, there are about 100 transfer specialists working in the 15 Helmholtz centers, and they provide professional processing of scientific results, inventions and technologies. This also includes the search for cooperation partners. Our experts support spin-offs and also keep proprietary rights in view. So far, this approach has proven to be a success. In 2006, we had seven spin-offs. Each year, our people are responsible for 400 patent applications and about 400 licensing agreements.

How important is basic research at this point for Germany as a business location?

Mlynek: Very important. It’s the basis for innovations. But the greatest asset that we produce, as it were, for Germany is highly-trained young people. The Helmholtz Association attaches great importance to supporting young researchers and has thus developed a strategy that encourages the younger generations at all educational levels. It begins with the "House of Young Researchers," an initiative involving Siemens. This particular program aims to get kindergartners interested in technology and science. In addition, we currently employ about 4,000 doctoral candidates—some of the leading minds of tomorrow.

What are your hopes for the year 2015?

Mlynek: That we no longer have to say that too few young people are going into engineering and the natural sciences. And especially, that we’re in a position where 50 % of the first-year students for these subjects are women. I hope that’s not just wishful thinking.

                                                                            Interview by Ulrike Zechbauer