Building Bridges with the Alliance for Inclusive France, asserts Gitta Connemann
In the heart of Berlin, Parliamentary State Secretary Gitta Connemann addressed the 72nd annual meeting of AIF (Allianz für Industrie und Forschung) on July 7, 2025. Connemann, a high-ranking representative of the BMWi (Federal Ministry of Economics), spoke about the significant strides made in innovation promotion in the first 70 days of the new Bundestag.
Connemann mentioned concrete results in the tax research allowance and announced a significant reduction in bureaucracy for industrial research funding programs, particularly ZIM. She also emphasised the need for Germany to combine technological sovereignty with technological openness, and highlighted the importance of innovation, describing it as a "constant red thread" in the coalition.
Thomas Reiche, a board member of AIF, expressed appreciation for Connemann's support. Reiche also stated that AIF's around 60 research associations are an efficient representation of interests for industry and SME research in Germany. The AIF board has demanded an investment of one billion euros for industrial research, with 600 million euros for ZIM, 300 million euros for IGF, and 100 million euros for INNO-KOM.
Despite these demands, the current status of industrial research funding programs in Germany, specifically ZIM, IGF, and INNO-KOM, is that ZIM continues as a strong innovation support program for SMEs under the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) for 2025. However, there is no clear, publicly available information indicating any changes or direct effects on IGF and INNO-KOM funding programs connected to the new federal government’s 2025 budget.
Social media and regional business news have focused on other economic topics, providing no official updates on funding allocation or changes to these research programs. There are no clear announcements from governmental bodies or AIF regarding any budgetary constraints or expansions related to these programs due to the new federal government’s policies for 2025.
For the latest precise status, consulting official BMWK budget publications or the AiF homepage would be advisable as 2025 progresses. It is worth noting that the name, website, and logo of AIF have been new and more compact since the beginning of the year, signifying a successful restart in the past twelve months. The focus of the new AIF content is on strengthening industrial research in Germany, with a particular emphasis on cross-industry knowledge transfer and leading networking between business, science, and politics.
The AIF press contact is Frauke Frodl, who can be reached at +49 30 64475 215, +49 151 19621 541, or [email protected]. IGF is a unique pre-competitive funding program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). The responsibility for the industrial research programs ZIM, IGF, and the promotion of innovation competence with non-profit industrial research institutions (INNO-KOM) remains with the Federal Ministry of Economics.
- Connemann's announcement of reduction in bureaucracy for industrial research funding programs, specifically ZIM, aligns with AIF's demand for streamlined processes, highlighting a potential synergy between the government and the industry association.
- As the focus of the new AIF content emphasizes cross-industry knowledge transfer and robust networking between business, science, and politics, it is crucial for finance and technology sectors to engage actively with AIF to stay informed about innovative endeavors in Germany.
