Innovation and Cooperation: Connecting German Mittelstand and Israeli Startups. Learnings and recommendations from an innovation exchange project May 2020.

Rother, Joachim (2020) Innovation and Cooperation: Connecting German Mittelstand and Israeli Startups. Learnings and recommendations from an innovation exchange project May 2020. UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

Germany’s economic upswing over the course of recent years has created the impression that its domestic companies are well equipped for the future. However, a recent study offers an alarming assessment in a field crucial to economic competitiveness: Germany is losing its position as a global leader in the area of innovation (“Weltklassepatente in Zukunftstechnologien”, 2020, Link). For years, experts have warned that the country’s strong economic position could lull its companies into complacency, making them reluctant to innovate. The effects of not having an innovative mindset may not be felt immediately; however, this simply means that the medium- and long-term consequences are likely to be even more severe. Germany’s often-lauded “hidden champions” in particular are in acute danger of losing their market dominance if they are unable to keep up with their global competitors’ innovation capacities.

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