6 1 / 2022 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS
Transition to a new , climate-neutral economic and social system
Research Summit on 4 May will discuss “ innovation policy for tackling global challenges ”
As devastating as the COVID-19 pandemic has been and continues to be , it has also made policymakers , businesses , scientists and many other key players in society profoundly aware of the global structure ’ s fragility and our dependency on our natural environment . It is therefore only logical that the next Research Summit in Germany in May will examine major global challenges in the context of innovation policy . Besides the COVID-19 pandemic , the event will focus on topics such as anthropogenic climate change .
BY GEORG SCHÜTTE *
The world is currently facing a difficult question : How can all the bright ideas and financial resources being poured into crisis management strategies be used not only to stabilise the established – and in parts outdated – economic system , but also to help develop bold innovations to make it more fit for the future ? Can the current crisis be used as an opportunity to develop new technologies and patterns of consumption which will make us more resilient to future crises ?
Focus on social consequences
I am certain that the transition to a new , climate-neutral economic system will dominate many of the debates at the Research Summit in Germany . I personally hope that the discussions will focus not only on the potential offered by technology , but also on the social consequences . This is important because transforming industries which are harmful to the climate will have ramifications beyond the world of work . Traditional jobs will be lost , while new ones will emerge .
How can we prevent economic and technological change from causing a greater divide between social groups ?
“ I personally hope that the discussions at the Research Summit will focus not only on the potential offered by technology , but also on the social consequences .”
Georg Schütte Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation
Image : Philip Bartz | Volkswagen Foundation
To answer this question , the Research Summit also needs to explore how the economy and state intend to fulfil their duty of care . How can we support people who feel anxious and who will be put at an economic and social disadvantage as a result of the inevitable tide of change ?
Although these questions have been asked many times before , they will be examined pointedly if they are discussed at the Research Summit . This is because you would be hard-pushed to find another event which brings together a similar number of outstanding decision-makers from politics , economics , science and other areas of society for discussions year after year .
As a long-standing participant , I know that the discussions are used for much more than self-marketing purposes . On the contrary , the Research Summit has always been a platform for heated debates , where researchers can disagree with the CEOs of large corporations and CEOs can thank researchers for giving them new inspiration .
Every Research Summit is an opportunity to shape the agenda of innovation
policy in Germany . The fact that members of the German government and leading figures from the European Commission regularly participate in the summit is a testament to the importance of this event .
Visions of sustainability
In 2021 , in her function as Germany ’ s Chancellor , Angela Merkel herself addressed the Research Summit ’ s participants : “ If we are to survive with our European social and economic model and our visions of sustainability and a future worth living intact , then we need to be more innovative and productive than other parts of the world and we need to act more quickly in many areas .” It is with this aspiration in mind that we will meet for the next Research Summit on 4 May .
* Dr . Georg Schütte is Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation in Hannover / Germany . Previously , he was a member of their Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2018 and served as State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research from 2009 to 2019 .