Can government be the catalyst for breakthrough innovation?
From Take on Tomorrow by PwC
November 4, 2025 · 24 min · Season 4 · Episode 7
About this episode
The episode discusses how government can drive breakthrough innovations in collaboration with private industry.
Big breakthrough innovations are on the horizon, and they could be coming from an unlikely place. We’re talking about the sort of ideas that would reshape how we move, the medical treatments we receive, and how we adapt to the changing climate and generate new kinds of energy—and they could all stem from a space not typically associated with innovation: the government. Rethinking the public sector’s role in innovation—and how it works together with private industry—may be key to solving the world’s most pressing challenges and improving people’s lives.In this episode of Take on Tomorrow, hosts Lizzie O’Leary and Femi Oke talk to Rafael Laguna de la Vera, Director of Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND), about why governments should be funding innovation across industries. Plus: Frederik Blachetta, Public Sector Data & AI Leader from PwC Germany, talks to us about how business can work alongside government to drive positive change. Take on Tomorrow is brought to you by strategy+business, a PwC publication © 2025 PwC.
People in this episode
Hosts: Lizzie O’Leary, Femi Oke
Guests: Rafael Laguna de la Vera, Frederik Blachetta
Topics covered
- government innovation
- public sector
- private industry collaboration
- breakthrough innovation
- climate change
- energy generation
Keywords
- breakthrough innovation
- government
- private industry
- climate change
- energy
- medical treatments
- public sector
Sponsors
PwC
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation, PwC, strategy+business
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