Industrial Policy Lab

In a time of global upheaval, industrial policy is rapidly gaining importance as a response to geopolitical risks, technological dependencies, and the need for sustainable transformation. The report by former ECB President Mario Draghi on the future of competitiveness in Europe underscores that an active and targeted industrial policy is essential to address these challenges, strengthen technological sovereignty, promote innovation, and reduce economic dependencies.

Industrial policy is no longer on the margins of political debate, but is firmly anchored on the agenda as a strategic instrument for shaping economic structural change. A modern industrial policy covers a wide range of relevant topics: the decarbonization of industrial processes, technological sovereignty, and key technologies such as microchips and quantum computing are just as much a part of it as innovation policy approaches and industrial policy responses to geopolitical challenges. Despite its growing importance, industrial policy often remains ideologically charged and scientifically insufficiently grounded.

The Industrial Policy Lab is establishing a center of excellence for evidence-based, policy-relevant research in the field of industrial policy. In addition to developing a model for the systematic evaluation and quantitative analysis of industrial policy measures, the lab continuously monitors and evaluates current industrial policy instruments in Germany. With this project, the Industrial Policy Lab generates sound knowledge about industrial policy measures, thereby laying the foundation for an objective, fact-based debate. Based on the research results, we provide evidence-based policy advice and strengthen public discourse.