The BMBF International Cooperation Portal

Information, Communication, Cooperation

The portal Kooperation international acts as a guide to international cooperation in the areas of research and education and as a communication platform for anyone looking for information and potential collaborations in Germany and abroad. It is operated on behalf of the BMBF to encourage cooperation between different research and education institutions as well as companies with research departments. In addition, Kooperation international is a networking instrument for German government departments and for science, intermediary and economic organizations.

Kooperation international is designed by VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH and the International Bureau of the BMBF, in cooperation with various partners from science, education and industry.

Offering

The platform focuses on providing information that is relevant for research and education policy and relates to Germany's most important partner countries. The website currently contains information about 34 countries: facts, detailed background information on the research and education landscape, on research and education policy, and the initiation of collaborations with each of these countries. In addition, the platform provides extensive information about the work of multilateral research and education organizations. The initiative was launched in early 2007 with detailed portraits of the OECD and UNESCO.

The website offers users the opportunity to obtain a free personalized directory that matches their interests and contains recent news, events and calls for proposals from over 100 countries and 30 specialist fields. For each featured country, the portal provides information about experts, an internet guide, programmes, projects, and working groups. The information available in each thematic focus can be displayed clearly on one page in the form of a "general report".  The service is rounded off by an individually configurable e-mail newsletter subscription service. Users themselves are free to post certain information on Kooperation international at any time, for example news or notices of upcoming events related to their international activities.

Users

The initiative is aimed at all those who would like to cooperate with other countries in the areas of research and education, are interested in cross-border collaborations, or offer advisory or brokerage services in these areas. It is directed towards researchers and scientists, research organizations, universities, intermediary organizations, companies that are R&D-oriented and operate at an international level, key personalities working in research and education, and members of staff of the ministries responsible for these areas.

Partners

Kooperation international works together with 15 science, economic, funding and intermediary organizations. Further partnerships with institutions that have similar aims and are interested in exchanging information on a regular basis are continuously being developed.