digitalization
Federal government wants to facilitate data evaluations
Volker Wissing (FDP), Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Affairs, speaks at the Digital Summit 2022. Photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
The traffic light coalition wants to make digital data better and more easily available. This should also strengthen Germany’s competitiveness in the future. The first pilot projects are being planned.
In the future, the federal government wants to make more data more available and usable in order to enable innovation projects in start-ups, companies, but also in science and civil society. This was announced by Digital and Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and Economics and Climate Minister Robert Habeck at the digital summit on Friday in Berlin. “We will make the existing legal framework manageable for this purpose,” said Wissing. This contributes to the fact that innovations meet the necessary legal requirements more quickly and easily.
Wissing advocated a new, open data culture in Germany. “Because data is at the heart of digital change. It determines production processes and supply chains as well as our consumption and our way of life. Using data wisely is a key to innovation and sustainable growth.”
Digital data crucial for competition
Habeck said the digital summit was not taking place in a vacuum: “The major crises and challenges of our time are all digital too: the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine or the Covid 19 pandemic.” The competition for intelligent green technologies has long since begun, said Habeck. “German companies are very well positioned here and enjoy an excellent reputation. But in order to remain competitive, we have to become better at handling digital data intelligently. Data availability is a prerequisite for future competitiveness.”
Wissing and Habeck also announced the establishment of a “data institute” for the coming year. It should facilitate data access and data use. External expertise from business, science, civil society and public administration is included in the foundation. “The data institute will be an important building block for strengthening the data economy, which promotes innovation and serves the common good.”
The institute is initially to start three pilot projects. This involves evaluating data on “Long Covid”, mobility in the municipalities and the gas price brake.