New Zealand

Political framework for scientific and technological cooperation

An intergovernmental agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between Germany and New Zealand has been in force since 1978. German Federal Minister Annette Schavan and New Zealand Minister of Research, Science and Technology Steve Maharey signed an accord in Berlin in late February 2007. "We want to strengthen our cooperation in the areas of science and research by carrying out joint projects", Schavan said. Minister Maharey also highlighted the importance of the agreement: "Scientific cooperation is one of the most promising areas of our partnership, and we want to expand it even further."

Key areas of cooperation

The collaboration between Germany and New Zealand comprises a wide range of different research areas. Top-class researchers from both countries work together particularly closely and successfully in the following fields:

• Atmospheric research
• Forest and agricultural research
• Marine and polar research

The support of student and young scientist exchanges through scholarship programmes is also extraordinarily successful. The New Zealand government has reduced tuition fees for German students to the level paid by New Zealand nationals.

Highlights of bilateral cooperation

One collaboration between Germany and New Zealand that has been running successfully for quite some time is a project to measure the variations in the earth's rotational speed with the help of ring laser gyroscopes. This is a collaborative project between the Technical University of Munich, the University of Canterbury in Christchurch (New Zealand) and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater (USA). Another outstanding area of cooperation with scientists from New Zealand is the field of marine research. This is reflected in the joint research work that was carried out during expeditions of the research vessel Sonne in the years 1998, 2003 and 2007.

Following a suggestion from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), New Zealand established the Julius von Haast Fellowship Fund after mutual high-ranking visits in 2004. It is a scholarship programme for German researchers that complements the AvH's scholarships. Efforts to intensify cooperation in nanotechnology, biotechnology, health research as well as information and communication technology are currently at the centre of attention, partly in connection with European funding programmes. R&D cooperation between New Zealand and Europe receives significant support from the New Zealand embassy in Berlin and the science counsellor at the New Zealand embassy in Brussels.

Special activities of the BMBF

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the New Zealand Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MoRST) are responsible for the realization of a programme for the support of preparatory projects. The special coordinators appointed for this project on both sides have the following responsibilities:

• Setting up bilateral cooperation between researchers and technology-based companies in the areas of research, science and technology
• Assessing and promoting key relationships in the R&D systems of both countries
• Observing and reporting on any significant developments in the R&D systems of both countries