The Impact of Legislation on Innovation

The overarching goal of this project was to deepen the understanding of how regulations influence innovation processes, particularly in areas such as biotechnology, and to establish a foundation for long-term research in this domain. The project involved commissioned research conducted on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). Funded Project Duration: 2019–2022.

The project set out to integrate knowledge and analytical tools from the field of design thinking innovation research with legal discourse to proactively evaluate the impact of various regulatory options. More specifically, the project examined how different regulations influenced innovation rates in society, while also considering the benefits and risks associated with new product developments. A key focus area was the potential consequences of impending legislative changes in biotechnology within the European Union.

Methodological Objectives

The project partnership aimed to achieve the following:

• Develop methods for measuring and modeling the impact of different regulations on innovation within a country or political union.
• Establish systematic approaches for estimating the benefits and risks of intended product developments.
• Devise techniques for nuanced assessments of community viewpoints and needs, complementing the polarized arguments of lobbying stakeholders.

Findings and Outcomes

The project concluded that, under the current regulatory framework for New Genomic Techniques in agriculture, the European Union (EU) was projected to generate only 0.5% to 2% of new product developments in the next decade, compared to what could be expected under complete deregulation. The existing regulations were characterized as "stringent," effectively mitigating risks associated with the 98–99.5% of product developments that did not occur in Europe due to the regulatory framework. However, these stringent rules also limited the potential benefits, as the unrealized 98–99.5% of product developments might have also introduced some advantages in the scenario of complete deregulation.

In response to these findings, the project proposed initial frameworks and tools to assist regulators and other stakeholders in making informed decisions. For instance, regulators might adopt the approach of allowing a specific percentage of developments expected under deregulation, such as 5%, selecting those products with the greatest expected societal benefits and lowest risks.

Annual Event

The project hosted an annual Design Thinking Conference on Innovation, Law, and Politics (CILP), fostering interdisciplinary discussions and collaboration:

CILP 2020

CILP 2021

CILP 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. (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: Innovation - insight - then and now (pp 47–76). 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.

Talks:

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.