National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)

Mission

acatech provides independent, evidence-based advice on strategic engineering and technology policy issues to policymakers and the public. It brings together science, industry and civil society. The Academy’s Members are prominent scientists from the fields of engineering, the natural sciences and medicine, as well as the humanities and social sciences. The Senate is made up of leading figures from technology companies and organisations and the major science organisations.

The academy’s projects are collaborations between its scientific Members and external experts from science and industry. The results are communicated to policymakers, industry, academia and interested members of the public through publications and events.

The National Academy of Science and Engineering is a non-profit organisation that relies on a mix of private donations and public funding from the Federal Government and the Länder.

Main fields of work

acatech provides effective structures for the science-based discussion of strategic technology issues. Experts from science, industry and civil society develop evidence-based proposals as input for the public and policy debate. The themes covered range from resources and the energy supply to technological developments, securing the supply of qualified specialists and technology communication.

Selected projects:

• Coordination of EU project SAPEA
• ESYS (Energy Systems of the Future)
• National Platform Future of Mobility
• Platform for Artificial Intelligence
• Innovation Dialogue

Committees / Main working groups

Working groups

– Biotechnology
– Digital and Self-learning
– Energy & resources
– Healthcare Technologies
– Innovation
– Mobility
– Security
– Technology & Society
– Work & Education

The structure of the Academy

The academy’s goals and working methods are determined by the scientific Members in the General Assembly. The members of the Senate advise the academy on strategic issues and play an especially important role in channelling proposals from industry. The academy’s Executive Board is proposed by the Board of Trustees and appointed by the General Assembly and Senate.
The Executive Board is responsible for the academy’s management and for representing it externally. acatech’s current Presidents are Dieter Spath and Karl-Heinz Streibich.

The Executive Board of acatech represents the two pillars of the academy

The Executive Board steers and represents the interests of the National Academy of Science and Engineering. Its members are elected from the members of the General Assembly and the Senate Committee. Two members of the Executive Board and their alternates will emerge from the Senate, five members and their deputies are elected by the General Assembly.

Well-known scientists with an excellent reputation

The members of acatech are admitted into the organisation on the basis of their outstanding scientific achievements and excellent reputation. Since acatech deals with a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary issues in science and technology, members are drawn from engineering and the natural sciences and from the humanities and the social sciences.

Senate Committee

The Senate Committee represents the Senate of the German Academy of Science and Engineering. Each member of the Senate Committee is elected for a term of three years.

Senate

In addition to the General Assembly the Senate represents the second pillar of the Academy. The members of the Senate – Senators – advise the academy on strategic matters and, in particular, garther input from the business sector. The Senate Committee is elected from the Senate.

Highlights 2020-2021

• In January 2020, the Third Innovation Dialogue took place with Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Ministers. At the event, Henning Kagermann, Chairman of the acatech Board of Trustees, together with representatives from industry and science, discussed the ‘Innovation Potential of Second Generation Quantum Technologies’.
• Within the framework of the National Platform for the Future of Mobility, the Steering Committee, chaired by Henning Kagermann, launched the project RealLabHH, a real-world laboratory in Hamburg exploring the digital mobility of the future.
• In December 2020, the National Platform Artificial Intelligence, co-chaired by the federal Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek and acatech President Karl-Heinz Streibich, published a progress report summarising the main results of the past years in key areas of AI research such as intelligent mobility, machine and deep learning, man-machine interaction, and AI and discrimination. It presents examples of practical applications in everyday life and also makes its own contribution to the innovation and socio-political AI discourse.
• In March 2021, Johann-Dietrich (Jan) Wörner was elected as one of acatech’s two Presidents, succeeding Dieter Spath. He is an engineer who has previously served as Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Chairman of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and President of the Technical University of Darmstadt.
• In May 2021, the “Circular Economy Roadmap for Germany” was officially handed over to the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The roadmap is a framework for action that describes the necessary steps for Germany’s transition to a Circular Economy. With funding from the BMBF, the Circular Economy Initiative Deutschland was carried out under the guidance of acatech in cooperation with SYSTEMIQ.
• In late 2021, the acatech IMPULSE “5G in Industry” was published. It discusses the potential of 5G technology and possible barriers to its implementation and proposes a series of policy options for science, industry and government.