topic Ministry

Cooperation with the Asian-Pacific region

According to expert prognoses, China and India will be the world's second- and third-largest economies in less than 10 years. The entire Asia-Pacific region is developing into a dominating force in science, as well. Of course this development poses some risks, but it also offers numerous opportunities, which we can only profit from if we engage in intensive dialogue with these countries. The BMBF actively supports Germany's contacts with this region through different measures in education and research policy. For example, we are currently intensifying the exchange of ideas with Japan and South Korea in the area of research and technology.

The opportunities for knowledge gain and access to new markets and the risks of technology leakage are regularly assessed and taken into account in the development of appropriate education and research policies, which form the basis of our cooperation with the individual countries in the region. The aim is to enable us to use the rapid development of the Asia-Pacific region in the fields of science and research to promote German interests, and to gear these advances towards the achievement of German and European objectives. We want to make our partner countries aware of the efficiency of German science and research. Our objective is to establish long-term cooperation through individual partnerships between the best institutes in Germany and in the partner countries.

In recent years, the BMBF and the research institutions it supports have expanded their cooperation with these countries and introduced new agreements and instruments, thus contributing to an intensification of collaboration in the areas of research and education. The BMBF has cooperation agreements with the following Asian countries:

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  topic Ministry

  New Zealand

  Our cooperation with New Zealand aims to complement and extend our own research activities in selected fields, support young scientists, and facilitate access to outstanding research institutions and unique research locations. New Zealand has a distinctive profile in terms of its research and innovation policy as well as its science and education landscape. In addition to project funding, there are various collaborations at institutional level, particularly in the fields of atmospheric research, agricultural technology, marine research and polar research.
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  topic Ministry

  Australia

  Australia is one of the industrialized nations with the highest scientific standards. The most important objective in the Australian government's research policy is to strategically position Australia as a key location of high technology in the Asian region. The areas of education in which the Australian government actively develops policies are mainly centred on vocational training and higher education. Australia's cooperation with Germany in the areas of education and research is developing in an extraordinarily positive way. For example, Australian applicants are some of the strongest contenders for Humboldt scholarships.
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  topic Ministry

  China - Hand in Hand with Water Management

  China is Germany's most important partner in Asia. Cooperation between both lands, particularly in the field of research, has intensified in the recent decades. A continuing commitment to this partnership was made clear at the German-Chinese intergovernmental consultations held in Berlin in late June 2011. Both lands signed off on several declarations of bilateral cooperation in education and research, including initiatives in occupational training, innovation research, life sciences, and sustainable water management. Contact between the countries is made regularly: last September, State Secretary Georg Schütte was in China, and Minister Annette Schavan travelled to the cities of Shanghai, Wuxi, and Guilin from 10 to 11 January 2012 following a personal invitation from Minister Wan Gang.
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  topic Ministry

  India

  During her visit to the subcontinent in February 2007, Federal Minister of Education and Research Dr Annette Schavan took advantage of the opportunity to forge a strategic partnership with India. The visit was also part of Germany's EU Council Presidency. For the first time, EU ministers of science met in India and held a conference to identify the goals India and the EU have in common. The Federal Minister also paid visits to Indian research institutions and key locations o industry.
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  topic Ministry

  Indonesia

  Indonesia is a priority country in Germany's Scientific and Technological Cooperation (STC) with Asia. After the tsunami disaster of 26 December 2004, the two countries worked together in the development of a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean, thus significantly extending scientific and technological cooperation. Only eleven weeks after the catastrophe, the first meeting of a new steering committee took place in Jakarta. This committee is responsible for implementing the concept for the development of the system, which was elaborated under the leadership of the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ).
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  topic Ministry

  Japan

  It is the Federal Government' declared objective to develop a lasting partnership strategy with Japan. From a strategic point of view, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (STC) with Japan is one of the mainstays of German-Japanese relations. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research cooperates with Japan on the basis of the STC Agreement of 1974. The key areas of cooperation set out in the agreement are marine research and technology, the life sciences, and the environment.
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  topic Ministry

  Mongolia

  In terms of politics, economics and science, the Asian-Pacific area is developing into one of the most influential regions in the world. Researchers from China, India or Japan are making important contributions to enhancing our worldwide knowledge in particular in the area of science. With its Asia Concept 2002, the BMBF has taken stock of successful cooperation over the past few years and defined the guidelines for the coming years.
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  topic Ministry

  Republic of Korea (South Korea)

  South Korea is a remarkable success story. In the 1960s, it was still one of the world's poorest countries. Today, the Republic of Korea is Asia's fourth-largest economy. In terms of GDP, South Korea's economy ranks 15th in the world. It is the world's 9th-largest export nation. South Korea is one of the most important markets for German exports. At the same time, Germany is South Korea's 4th-largest trade partner and the most important trade partner among the EU Member States, with a trade volume of US$25 billion in 2008.
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  topic Ministry

  Vietnam

  In recent years, Vietnam has confirmed its role as one of the most dynamic partners of the BMBF in the region with cooperation priorities in the areas of biotechnology and environmental technology. Bilateral cooperation with Vietnam has received major new impetus. Both sides have agreed, in particular, to base cooperation on a novel structural basis.
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