InnoTruck – Technology and ideas for tomorrow

During the course of its nationwide tour, this information and dialogue initiative, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), will highlight ways that innovation can have a positive impact on our lives. The diverse range of exhibits and varied programme of events presents the future tasks that make up the government’s Future Strategy for Research and Innovation and gives visitors the opportunity to get involved and try things out for themselves.

Through this nationwide mobile information initiative, which launched in spring 2017, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is seeking to encourage public debate on the question of how innovations in technology and science can be driven ahead in order to generate the greatest possible benefit. At the heart of this cross-media initiative is the InnoTruck – a mobile exhibition and exploration centre. Comprising two levels and featuring more than 60 technology exhibits, it showcases the six future tasks earmarked by the Federal Government as highly significant for its Future Strategy for Research and Innovation.

With the aid of multi-media content and simple experiments, the on-board scientific staff will demonstrate which technologies are promising to bring the most important developments and into which areas, as well as showing how an idea can evolve into an innovation with genuine added value for society, and where exciting career prospects will be likely to arise, in particular for young people. Working in collaboration with local event organisers, the InnoTruck will not only be making visits to schools, but also to various technology and scientific events, as well as universities and trade shows throughout Germany. As part of the ‘hands-on tour’, local event organisers are invited to actively participate and help organise additional dialogue events for a tour stop. The programme offered through the InnoTruck initiative is in all cases free-of-charge – both for visitors and for event organisers. Check out the tour schedule to find upcoming places to come and see the InnoTruck, the mobile world of exploration: Tour Schedule

Future tasks for prosperity and quality of life

When we talk about innovation, what springs to mind is a high-tech world in which scientists in labs use advanced technology to facilitate the development of new products and processes. Yet it's important not to lose sight of the aim of research and innovation - to provide answers to questions concerning the sources of our future prosperity and quality of life.

In this context, the Federal Government is addressing those solutions which feature a high level of scientific and technical momentum; solutions which Germany can use to gain an innovative edge over the international competition. It is therefore concentrating its subject-based research and innovation policy on six prioritised “future tasks”. The exhibition inside the InnoTruck presents each of these future tasks within its own dedicated zone.

The six priority challenges with regard to future prosperity and quality of life are:

  • The digital economy and society
  • Sustainable economy and energy
  • Innovative world of work
  • Healthy living
  • Intelligent mobility
  • Civil security

Future technologies – the tool-kit for innovation

Technology creates the basis for new materials, new fields of application and new perspectives. This makes it an indispensable tool for mastering the huge challenges currently facing our society. The majority of innovations are so complex that they include contributions from more than one area of technology. In the automotive world, for example, you will not only encounter new high-performance materials, but also light diodes and microchips. These technical innovations, in turn, not only bring positive effects in the field of mobility, but in all other fields of application too. An innovation in one area of technology therefore also constitutes an advance in another.

Technologies with particularly high innovation potential include:

  • Materials technologies
  • Nanotechnologies
  • Biotechnologies
  • Microsystems technology
  • Microelectronics and information and communication technologies
  • Optical technologies
  • Production technologies

For further information about the initiative:

Download 'Campaign Profile' (PDF, 221 kB) and Download 'Factsheet' (PDF, 280 kB)