Stefan Kuhlmann is an academic teacher, researcher, and intellectual in the field of science, technology and innovation governance studies, presently at the University of Twente, Netherlands.

Since 2018 Kuhlmann is Academic Director of the Netherlands Graduate School of Science, Technology and Modern Culture (WTMC).

He graduated in Political Science and History from Philipps-University Marburg/Germany (1978) and got a PhD (Dr.rer.pol. 1986) and Habilitation (1998) in Political Science from University of Kassel/Germany.

Since the 1980s – with changing entrance points and perspectives – he has been involved in studies of research and technological innovation as social and political processes, in particular the analysis of science, research and innovation systems and policies, focusing on the dynamics of governance. Until 2006 Stefan held leading positions at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems Innovation Research (ISI), Germany, and was a Professor of Innovation Policy Analysis at the Copernicus Institute, University of Utrecht, Netherlands.

Stefan is publishing widely in the field of research and innovation policy studies. He was Co-editor of 'Research Policy' 2005-2020 (the leading journal in the field); Associate Editor of the 'International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy (IJFIP)'; member of the Editorial Advisory Board of 'Science and Public Policy', of 'Evaluation', The International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, and of 'European Journal of Futures Research'. Stefan Kuhlmann is a co-editor of The Theory and Practice of Innovation Policy. An International Research Handbook (2010, with R. Smits & P. Shapira), and of the Research Handbook on Innovation Governance for Emerging Economies: Towards Better Models (2017, with G. Ordonez); Handbook on Science and Public Policy (2019, with D. Simon, J. Stamm, W. Canzler).

Specialties: Stefan Kuhlmann is a member of many professional or academic associations in the area of research and innovation policy analysis; inter alia he was president (2010 - 2016) and founding member of the European Forum for ‘Studies of Policies for Research and Innovation’ (Eu-SPRI Forum).