Take on Tomorrow Can government be the catalyst for breakthrough innovation?
Nov 4, 2025
Rafael Laguna de la Vera, Director of Germany's SPRIND, and Frederik Blachetta, Public Sector Data & AI Leader at PwC Germany, explore how governments can lead breakthrough innovations. They discuss the vital role of public funding in transforming research into practical solutions for urgent global challenges. The duo shares success stories from SPRIND, emphasizing socially beneficial projects and the need for effective public-private partnerships. They argue that collaborative models can reshape industries while addressing pressing societal issues, from energy to medical advancements.
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Public Funding Enables Tough Early R&D
- Governments historically funded early-stage risky research that enabled major innovations like smartphone technologies.
- Public funding and risk-taking can close gaps private investors avoid, catalyzing breakthroughs.
Why Germany Built SPRIND
- Rafael explains Germany created SPRIND after noting strong basic research wasn't translating into industries.
- The agency launched in 2019 to bridge the translation gap from labs to market.
De-Risk Then Exit When Private Capital Shows Up
- De-risk projects by evaluating team quality and exposing them to investors through events like Venture Sprint.
- Exit once private capital demonstrates sufficient financial commitment.