BeAT – Professional Development and Training CenterOn March 2 and 3, 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) held its Annual Regional Policy Conference in Halle (Saale). Over 700 participants from politics, business, government, academia, associations, and labor unions gathered there to discuss innovative approaches, effective tools, and proven methods for future-oriented regional development. The annual conference also provided important insights for the »DekaRB – Accelerating Decarbonization for a Resilient Economy« project.
Jana Liebe, subproject manager and managing director of the Thuringian Renewable Energy Network (ThEEN) e. V., attended the conference and brought back key insights from the discussions that are highly relevant for the regional shaping of transformation processes—especially in structurally challenged regions:
Transformation takes place in regions
A key conclusion of the conference: Transformation is not an abstract goal, but takes place concretely in regions—with very different starting points, economic structures, and societal challenges. It is precisely at this level that it is decided whether change is supported and actively shaped or rejected. This brings the regional level—and thus also industrial clusters—even more into focus for effective transformation and structural policy.
Real-world laboratories: From »rule testing« to regulatory learning
The discussion on real-world labs took up a significant portion of the agenda. They were clearly understood as spaces for innovation under real-world conditions—not primarily as a traditional funding instrument, but as a tool for jointly advancing technological, organizational, and regulatory innovations. The focus is shifting from merely testing individual projects to systematic regulatory learning. With the Real-World Labs Office at the BMWE and the emerging Real-World Labs Innovation Portal, an infrastructure is currently being established to make real-world labs scalable and sustainably effective. This includes consulting and networking within the Real-World Labs network, knowledge transfer and visibility via the portal, a planned overview of existing experimental clauses, and—in the long term—a systematic assessment of impacts.
A standard experimental clause was identified as the target vision. Continuity is crucial here: learning should not end with individual pilot projects, but should have a lasting impact on policy and administration. It also became clear that real-world labs are not a regional policy instrument in the strict sense, but they can empower regions and participating stakeholders to take concrete action—an approach that is also highly relevant for DekaRB. Against this backdrop, the Real-World Labs Act, currently undergoing parliamentary proceedings, is an important step toward structurally embedding regulatory learning.
Rethinking Structural Policy: GRW, Clusters, and Digitalization
In addition to new instruments, the success and significance of classic structural policy approaches were also emphasized—coupled with a call to “return to the spirit” and once again shape regional development more strongly through our own efforts. The Joint Task »Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure«(GRW) was highlighted as a key model of success, one that must, however, be further developed with a forward-looking perspective. Likewise, there was a call for a stronger role for clusters—taking into account their very diverse forms across Germany. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were described as an important anchor of stability for the German economy, as they demonstrate comparatively high resilience to transformation pressures in many regions. The »Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM)« was cited as a concrete example of necessary modernization steps; as the first fully digital funding program, it stands for greater speed and simplicity in funding processes.
Where Change Divides: Transformation Pressure Meets Public Services
From a scientific perspective, it became clear: where economic and technological transformation pressures intensify, the willingness to actively support change often declines. This is not only an economic challenge but also one that is sensitive to democratic principles. Studies—including those focusing on southern Thuringia—show high pressure for transformation in regions where issues of public services are particularly acute. However, the research also points to effective counterstrategies: strengthening structures before pressures become acute, proactive regional and structural support, and targeted investments can measurably dampen political dissatisfaction, for example with regard to election results. A central focus of the discussion was therefore to give greater weight in the GRW to anticipated transformation pressures as a forward-looking criterion—rather than reacting only once pressures have already escalated.
Relevance for DekaRB – a personal takeaway from Jana Liebe
The discussions at the 2026 Annual Conference on Regional Policy underscore key assumptions of the DekaRB project: Successful decarbonization requires more than just technological solutions . When change is shaped through learning—for example, via real-world laboratories—and at the same time sustainable regional structures and the further development of infrastructure are promoted, such as through public services, transformation can become a shared project—rather than a divisive factor. In this context, the GRW, like other programs, can also provide support.
