Holger Hanselka, president of the Fraunhofer Society, calls for broad protective measures to shield Germany from a massive outflow of knowledge. In an editorial in “Handelsblatt”, he urged both federal states and the national government to define-bindingly-“with which countries, organisations and companies, and on which key topics a German research institution must not collaborate”. He added that any violations should be penalised, stressing that “scientific freedom does not mean arbitrary collaboration”.
Hanselka replied to accusations that Fraunhofer does not adequately safeguard its intellectual capital by noting that the employment contracts of institute directors contain confidentiality and secrecy clauses that remain in force even after the contract ends. A highly publicised case illustrates the issue: the transition of a director of the Institute for Communication Technology to Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications firm. According to “Handelsblatt”, no cooling‑off period or similar restriction was imposed to prevent a knowledge exodus. This comes amid Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent announcement to replace Chinese network technology with alternative solutions.
