The founder of the Tübingen biotech company Curevac, Ingmar Hoerr, criticized that failure is too frowned upon in Germany.
“Yes, failure is not allowed for us,” said Hoerr in the “Cäshflow” podcast of Baden-Württemberg Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz (Greens). “Anyone who has failed once in life has always failed. That’s a dogma that you have, and it shouldn’t be.” This avoids risks that are actually needed if you want to advance high-tech, said Hoerr.
In the podcast, Hoerr also advocated more entrepreneurship at scientific institutions, such as universities. They shunned nothing as much as foundations “like the devil shuns holy water”. “Academic freedom of research is really set in stone, that must not be attacked,” said Hoerr.
