There are plenty of good ideas – but realizing them is often difficult in Germany, complain many start-ups. A new concept from the Federal Ministry of Economics is intended to remedy this.
Drones, robots, autonomous vehicles, telemedicine: future technologies that need to be tested – this is what so-called real laboratories are for.
“Real-world laboratories enable tech pioneers to make innovations more practical,” said Thomas Jarzombek, representative of the Ministry of Economics for the Digital Economy, of the German Press Agency. “We want to create even more attractive conditions and new opportunities for this.”
According to the ministry, real-life laboratories should make it possible to experience cutting-edge technologies in a real environment that are generally not yet approved. A concept paper by the ministry states that many companies, start-ups and tech pioneers perceive the legal framework as too rigid, too restrictive and too complex – for example when it comes to putting digital technologies and business models into practical use.
Specifically, the Federal Ministry of Economics has presented a concept proposal for a real laboratory law. The aim is to create more legal leeway so that entrepreneurs can try out new ideas under real conditions. According to the ministry, the state should learn to adapt laws and regulations in such a way that “the future in Germany is not just thought, but also made”.
The law is intended to define overarching standards for real laboratories and so-called experimentation clauses and enshrine them in law. They should offer companies, research institutes and municipalities attractive conditions. For the practical implementation of these standards, the law should enable new real-world laboratories in specific digital innovation areas, such as data-driven applications of artificial intelligence in mobility or digital legal services.
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