Press Release Try Tender

The federal government has taken an important step today to enable real laboratories throughout Germany. The goal is to sustainably strengthen the country as a business and innovation location by creating spaces for innovation and reducing bureaucratic hurdles. The basis is todays cabinet decision presented by the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Minister for Digital and State Modernization which provides a formulation aid for an amendment to the real laboratories law.

Real laboratories allow innovations to be tested in a controlled manner under as real conditions as possible for a limited time. This enables early learning about opportunities and risks and facilitates practical transfer. However there are often hurdles to the practical implementation of real laboratories. This is where the regulations come into play. Across all areas of innovation the framework conditions along the entire path of an innovation into testing in the real laboratory and from there into general application are improved. Additionally a new important application area for real laboratories is the tailored simplification and acceleration of administrative procedures: through a general testing clause authorities are enabled to test better and faster administrative and approval processes as well as digitization e.g. through the use of AI or the merging of several procedural steps - while deviating from administrative legal regulations. Concrete spaces in specialist laws also allow for testing in healthcare youth media protection digital administration register modernization for the economy education telecommunications or even air traffic.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche: With the Federal Testing Law we create space for ideas that advance our country. Those who want innovation must not brake it in the regulatory thicket. We give the economy and administration the freedom to try out new things faster - so that good ideas become real dynamics.

Federal Digital Minister Dr. Karsten Wildberger: Today we break the Gordian knot of German administrative bureaucracy. The Federal Testing Law gives local authorities the freedom to simply create a fast digital and unbureaucratic state. This puts the decision in the hands of the people who know the processes in their area of responsibility best. Trust instead of control: we finally give our officials the freedom to act boldly and innovatively.

Strengthening and expanding the existing draft law

Specifically the federal government proposes to strengthen and expand the existing draft law threefold in the parliamentary process. The goal is to develop it into a comprehensive Federal Testing Law.

Improving framework conditions for innovation promotion across sectors: approval processes will become more innovation-friendly and the practical implementation of real laboratories will be supported. A structured knowledge transfer ensures that practical insights are quickly taken into account in legislation thus paving the way for future solutions in the market. Empowering authorities to deviate from rigid federal administrative regulations: measures to accelerate or reduce the costs of administrative and approval processes as well as administrative digitization can be tested on-site in the future - e.g. through the use of AI merging of administrative responsibilities and procedural steps or testing proactive administrative services. For this federal state authorities and municipalities may deviate from certain federal administrative legal regulations. If the testing is successful it should be rolled out nationwide and federal legal regulations should be adjusted. Creation of new legal experimental clauses which are to be implemented through additional articles in seven specialist laws. This will create concrete new spaces for the economy state and society.

New spaces for testing

In these areas innovations and technological progress should be practically tested in the future through new experimental clauses:

Healthcare: testing simplified conformity assessment procedures for IT systems to bring digital solutions into care faster. Digital administration: changes in the OZG will enable the testing of the eID wallet for digital identity. A possible pilot operation based on the law can prepare the wallet introduction in Germany. Youth media protection: automated evaluation systems open new ways in the allocation of age ratings. This promises faster more efficient procedures while maintaining a high level of protection. Bureaucratic reduction for the economy: trial connection of various registers to the company base data register thus testing a seamless networking of administration. This would be a prerequisite for companies to only have to provide their data once according to the once-only principle. Companies thus benefit from significantly reduced reporting obligations. Education sector: simplification of the BAfoG approval process. The testing of automated retrieval of evidence accelerates the application process and reduces administrative effort. Telecommunications sector: the new regulation allows the Federal Network Agency to approve temporary deviations from regulatory requirements in the area of frequency regulation - whenever this serves the testing of new technologies or procedures. This creates the framework for forward-looking developments such as quantum technologies or innovative network operation procedures. Air traffic law: in the future the regulation for testing modern technologies in airspace in real laboratories should be enabled especially in the area of unmanned aerial systems and so-called U-space concepts.

All recommendations of the formulation aid aim to bring innovations into practice faster while simultaneously preparing the administration for the future. Through the combination of regulatory flexibility and targeted practical testing new opportunities for technological development economic growth and ci