Dr. Terrie Romano
Consul
National Research Council Canada
Dr. Terrie Romano was appointed in January 2025 as the new Head of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC)’s office in Germany, located at the Consulate of Canada in Munich. In her previous role as Senior Advisor, International Relations, Terrie facilitated research collaborations across Germany, the European Union, and the United States, and managed the Grants to International Affiliations program, which the NRC supports on behalf of Canada’s scientific, engineering and industrial innovation communities.
Before joining the NRC in 2020, Terrie represented the Government of Ontario in India and Germany, attracting new investments, creating business opportunities for Canadian companies and fostering international research collaborations. She is fluent in English, French, German, and Italian and served as a Canadian diplomat in Detroit and London, England, as well as on numerous overseas assignments in Kenya, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. Terrie is the holder of a B. Sc. with Honours from Western University, a M.A from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from Yale University. She had a distinguished academic career that included time as an Assistant Professor at Queen’s School of Medicine in Kingston, a Visiting Scholar at Bielefeld University in Germany and a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University in England, before she joined the Canadian Foreign Service.
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Deep Dive Session II: Do the current geopolitical developments require a new approach to innovation policy?
Germany's innovation system is facing challenges from all sides: well-known competitors such as China are getting stronger, old friends are questioning relations at all levels, and a united Europe agreeing on common approaches is still in the making. In this time of uncertainty and upheaval, Germany must define its role in the global innovation system and assume its position as the third-largest economy. In doing so, it is important to find new balances. Whereas in the past we were often too open in our re-search and innovation system (in technologically sensitive areas), we must now better protect our know-how while still accelerating cooperation.
Key technologies are multi-use, and it is generally impossible to specify whether they will be used purely for civilian or military purposes. This makes it all the more important to conduct this new political debate in Germany's innovation system against the backdrop of the Zeitenwende, to determine in which areas science and industry should focus their research activities, or indeed must research due to the global threat situation. But what financial resources are needed to tackle these new tasks? Does the Hightech_Agenda_Deutschland offer the right answers? And how can we strengthen innovation cooperation with our European and international partners? Germany must develop answers to these innovation policy questions. Join us for an in-depth look at the Innovation Indicator 2025 and let's discuss the results together with international experts.
David Born, Head, Roland Berger Institute
Rainer Frietsch, Head of the Department of Innovation and Knowledge Economy, Fraunhofer ISI
Nannan Lundin, Chief Analyst, Innovation Agency of Sweden
Terrie Romano, Consul, National Research Council Canada
Ina Sebastian, Vice President R&D&I Policy, Infineon Technologies
Selina Sia, Regional Director, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)
Jennifer Sarah Boone, Moderatorin
