The Impact of Legislation on Innovation

The overarching goal of this project is to deepen our understanding of the influence of regulations on innovation processes, as for instance in the realm of biotechnology, and to establish long-term research in this domain. The project involves commissioned research on behalf of the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). Funded Project Duration: 2019-2022.

The project's primary objective is to integrate knowledge and analytical tools from the field of design thinking innovation research with the legal discourse to proactively evaluate the impact of various regulatory options. More specifically, the project investigates how different regulations may influence rates of innovation within society, while also considering the benefits and risks associated with new product developments. One major focus area of the project is the potential consequences of upcoming legislative changes in the field of biotechnology within the European Union.

Methodologically, the partnership aims to achieve the following objectives:

• Develop methods for measuring and modeling the impact of different regulations on innovation developments within a country or political union
• Establish systematic approaches for estimating the benefits and risks associated with an intended product development
• Devise techniques for nuanced assessments of viewpoints and needs among community members, as a potential complement to the highly polarized arguments of lobbying stakeholders.

In terms of modeling outcomes, the project concludes that under the current regulatory framework governing New Genomic Techniques in agriculture, the European Union (EU) is projected to generate between 0.5% to 2% of new product developments in the next decade, in contrast to the numbers expected under complete deregulation. Against this background, the present regulation can be characterized as 'stringent.' It effectively mitigates risks, specifically those associated with the 98-99.5% of all product developments that do not occur in Europe due to the current regulations. However, these stringent regulations also potentially limit the spectrum of benefits attainable within the EU, as the 98% to 99.5% of unrealized new product developments, which would only be expected under complete deregulation, could also represent a source of benefits. In light of this, the project provides initial frameworks and tools that may assist regulators and executing bodies in making informed decisions. For instance, regulators could aim for a certain level of strictness, such as permitting 5% of all product developments in society that would be expected under deregulation. This approach might involve a specific selection process, favouring product developments that offer the greatest societal benefits while posing the lowest risks.

The project hosts annual symposia on Design Thinking - Innovation, Law, Politics, and Biotechnology

Symposium 2020

Symposium 2021

Symposium 2022

Communication of Project Results:

Articles and Chapters:

Borchart, K.-P., von Thienen, J. P. A., Meinel, C. & Bartsch, D. (2023). NOA: Needs-Based Outcome Assessments. In Berliner Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft (Ed.), Jahrbuch 2019/2020 (pp. 66-90). Berlin. Available online.  

Corazza, G. E. & von Thienen, J. P. A. (2021). Invention [dictionary entry]. In V. P. Glăveanu (ed.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

von Thienen, J. P. A., Borchart, K.-P., Bartsch, D., Walsleben, L. & Meinel, C. (forthcoming 2023). Predicting creativity and innovation in society: The importance of places, the importance of governance. In H. Plattner, C. Meinel and L. Leifer (eds.), Design thinking research. Cham: Springer.

von Thienen, J. P. A., Hartmann, C. & Meinel, C. (2022). Different concepts of human needs and their relation to innovation outcomes. In H. Plattner, C. Meinel and L. Leifer (eds.), Design thinking research. Achieving real innovation (pp. 209-226). Cham: Springer.

von Thienen, J. P. A., Kolodny, O. & Meinel, C. (2023). Neurodesign: The biology, psychology and engineering of creative thinking and innovation. In N. Rezaei (ed.), Brain, Decision-Making, and Mental Health (pp. 617–659). Cham: Springer.

Aural Presentations:

Bartsch, D. & von Thienen, J. P. A. (4.10.2020). Modellierung von Innovationsräumen und -prozessen zur Europäischen Biotechnologie. Tagung „Was heißt Innovation in der Bioökonomie?“, Dialogreihe „Innovation und Verantwortung“. Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, in Kooperation mit der Deutschen Akademie der Technikwissenschaften (acatech) und dem Institut Technik-Theologie-Naturwissenschaften (TTN) der LMU München, Tutzing, Deutschland.

Bartsch, D., von Thienen, J. P. A. & Hartmann, C. (6.2.2020). Modellierung von Innovationsräumen in der Biotechnologie. Talk for the Berlin Scientific Society, Berlin, Germany.

Bartsch, D., Kahrmann, J., von Thienen, J. P. A. & Hartmann, C. (3.12.2020). Modellierung von Innovationsräumen und -prozessen am Beispiel der Europäischen Biotechnologie. Vortrag für die Berliner Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft, HPI Potsdam, Deutschland.

Borchart, K-P. (2020). Exploring ethical perspectives on digital engineering developments – sample application of design thinking templates for risk-benefit assessments. Design Thinking – Innovation, Law & Politics ’20, , Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Germany, December 3-4.

Borchart, K.-P.  (2021). Elucidating collaborative and individual use patterns and results of the Needs-Based Design Template [workshop]. Design Thinking – Innovation, Law, Politics & Biotechnology '21, Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Germany, December 17.

Borchart, K.-P., von Thienen, J. P. A., Molitorisová, A. [organizers and presenters] (2021). The Needs-Based Design Template. A framework for reflecting on product risks and benefits based on human needs. Workshop at the Hasso Plattner Design Thinking Research Meeting organized by Stanford University [online], March 15-17.

Borchart, K.-P., von Thienen, J. P. A., Molitorisová, A. [invited talk] (2021). Introducing the Needs-Based Design Template for assessments of product risks and benefits based on human needs. Presentation for the Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit and the University of Bayreuth, March 30.

Meinel, C. (2021). Expiration dates for laws? Observations and experiences in the area of IT regulation. Design Thinking – Innovation, Law, Politics & Biotechnology '21, Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Germany, December 17.

von Thienen, J. P. A. (2020). Design thinking methodology. Need-based assessments of product risks and benefits: Introducing templates. Design Thinking – Innovation, Law & Politics ’20,  Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Germany, December 3-4.

von Thienen, J. P. A. (2020, January). Normative aspects in creativity, collaboration and culture development. Talk in the Neurodesign Lecture Series 2019/20, HPI, University of Potsdam, Germany. Recording available at: www.tele-task.de/lecture/video/7936

von Thienen, J. P. A. (2021). Innovation modelling with the example of sustainability developments – insights for governance and administration. Annual Symposium of the Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Modern Biotechnology in a changing world: Health, Environment and Regulation [online], Oktober 6-7.

von Thienen, J. P. A (2021). Assessing human needs for ethical innovation inspiration – towards inclusive, pluralistic and socially accepted developments. Design Thinking – Innovation, Law, Politics & Biotechnology '21, Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Germany, December 17.

von Thienen, J. P. A., Borchart, K.-P., Walsleben, L., Bartsch, D. & Meinel, C. (2022). Modelling the impact of political environments on creativity and innovation. Full presentation at the MIC conference on creativity, Aug 31 – Sept 2, Bologna, Italy. 

von Thienen, J. P. A. & Walsleben, L. (2021). Modelling individual, organizational, and governmental decisions concerning the development of sustainable, new products. Sustainable Development and the Law: Potential and Challenges of Using Behavioural Insights [conference organised by Eva van der Zee, University of Hamburg, and Kai Purnhagen, University of Bayreuth; online], Sept 23-24.

Walsleben, L.  (2021). Decisions for different innovation strategies under varying economic constellations [workshop]. Design Thinking – Innovation, Law, Politics & Biotechnology '21, Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Germany, December 17.

Walsleben, L. & von Thienen, J. P. A. [invited talk] (2021). Understanding large corpora of EU-stakeholder consultations via semi-automated text analysis. HUBJ-Research Meeting, organized by the Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit [online], June 17.