#ZEWPodcast
The #ZEWPodcast “Wirklich Wirtschaft” offers direct insights into ZEW's research – understandable, up-to-date, and close to the scientists. The podcast is available in two formats: “ZEW Wirklich Wirtschaft Kompakt”, the short and concise news and explanation format, and “ZEW Wirklich Wirtschaft Background” which explores topics in greater depth and context. In the future, there will also be episodes in English.
From 2020 to 2025, the podcast ran under the title “Wirtschaft · Forschung · Debatten” (in German language only). At the end of 2025, it was relaunched and has since been renamed “ZEW Wirklich Wirtschaft”.
You can find the podcast on all popular platforms, including Podigee, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Do you have any comments, ideas, or feedback about the podcast? Feel free to write to us at podcast@zew.de.
Click on the magnifying glass to select different years and get even more impressions of ZEW research in our podasts of the last years!
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#ZEWPodcast Is Germany more innovative than ever before?
In 2024, Germany invested more money in innovation than ever before: according to the latest innovation survey by ZEW Mannheim, companies spent around €213.3 billion on innovation – a new record high. Nevertheless, the German economy is losing momentum in international competition. In the ZEW podcast “Wirklich Wirtschaft”, Dr. Christian Rammer, Deputy Head of the Research Unit “Economics of Innovation and Industrial Dynamics”, explains why record budgets alone are not enough to strengthen innovation in the long term and where the main obstacles to innovation in Germany lie.
Rammer makes it clear that several forces are driving innovation spending upwards: one important factor is inflation, which generally makes innovation projects more expensive. In addition, the central cost and productivity factor in innovation is people – rising labour costs therefore have a direct impact on innovation budgets. At the same time, increasing international competition in innovation is creating additional pressure: more and more economies are relying on innovation as a competitive strategy, making it more difficult for German companies to stand out from the crowd. Structural challenges such as high energy prices, changing sales markets and trade barriers are also forcing companies to adapt and thus to innovate.