Technological progress through innovation is probably the most important driving force of the productivity (and in turn welfare) growth of developed economies. What happens, however, when it becomes increasingly difficult to develop new, groundbreaking ideas that increase our productivity and promote economic growth? In Germany, we observe that the innovative strength becomes increasingly concentrated in a few industries, such as the automotive and chemical industries. At the same time, other sectors, for example, the software industry, was never really competitive on an international level. A similar specialization also takes place at a regional level. Companies in some regions of Germany, especially in the south, are highly innovative and contribute strongly to overall economic growth, while other regions are stagnating.