Innovation is widely accepted as a crucial driver of economic growth and social welfare. Industria­lised and emerging countries equally rely on technological as well as non-technological innovations to remain competitive in world-markets and to improve people’s living conditions. Therefore, innovations have become an integral part of national strategies to tackle the grand global challenges and to foster sustainable growth. The presentation will give an overview of recent developments in the German innovation system that aim to bridge the gap between invention and innovation. The experiences with the High-Tech Strategy of the Federal Government, the Innovation Dialogue of the German Chancellor, or the National Platform E-mobility show that the cooperation between different sectors such as science, business, politics and society have become the crucial success factor to strengthen the innovation ecosystem. Furthermore, they also underline that national innovation strategies have to include the international and even global perspective. This is one important reason why there is a need for national academies and scientific societies within an international network that play a key role as independent and trusted advisors for society and politics for cultivating innovations.