The role of the German government in the EIT ICT Labs

This thesis analyses the role of the German Government in the European initiative EIT ICT Labs which aims at promoting the commercialization of knowledge in the European Union. The main the research question is ‘What is the role of the German Government in the EIT ICT Labs?’ Based on a case study, empirical evidence is primarily gained from official documents published by German and European political authorities and interviews. The analysis of this data suggests that the role of the Federal Government is to support the implementation of Triple Helix innovation networks within the concept of multi-level governance. For that purpose, the German Government uses the policy instrument of information to mediate between the stakeholders of the Triple Helix network.