Meeting Global Challenges: German-U.S. Innovation Policy: Summary of a Symposium (2012)
Chapter: Closing Remarks
Mr. Wolff commented that the spirited exchanges of the roundtable signified both the uncertainties and the urgency of innovation policy, especially in regard to energy issues. He returned to a primary theme of the workshop, cooperation and competition between the two countries, and underlined the need for both if the technological and policy challenges are to be clarified and addressed. “I think today that Germany and the United States demonstrated how much we have to offer each other.” He closed by thanking his hosts in Berlin, and urging that the dialogue continue to support what turned out to be a “major undertaking.”
Dr. Zimmerman closed the symposium with words of thanks and gratitude for the participants and organizers, and for the many informative talks packed into two days.
Looking beyond the symposium, he urged his colleagues not only to continue monitoring the issues raised during discussions, but also to give great attention to issues not much discussed, especially that of security, and how best to deal with catastrophes. He also emphasized importance of the service sector, on which much employment depends, and the employment consequences of innovation.
He concluded by urging both partner countries to maintain the “freshness of debate between and with the policy makers directly,” and to share and shape transatlantic responses to policy challenges. “What can the United States and Germany do together,” he asked, “to make the best contribution?”
