International Science Years

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Since 2007, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been organizing International Science Years with strategically important partner countries such as the People's Republic of China , Brazil and Russia as part of the internationalization strategy . The aim is to promote and sustainably strengthen cooperation in education and research , be it through the expansion of university cooperation , the initiation of research and development projects, the promotion of vocational training or the intensification of cutting-edge research.

Goals and priorities

In order to achieve these goals, research institutions and educational establishments in both countries are invited by the BMBF and the respective partner ministry to present their joint projects in public, to strengthen the exchange of young scientists and to initiate new collaborations. For example, delegation trips, events and workshops as well as "best practice projects" that promote cooperation in education and research as well as in science and technology are funded.

The main topics of the respective International Science Years are based on the research agendas of both countries - in Germany it is the high-tech strategy - and on the bilateral agreements on scientific and technological cooperation (WTZ agreement). As the past International Science Years show, future global issues (such as climate / energy , health / nutrition , mobility , security and communication ) and the promotion of innovation are increasingly moving into focus and thus the interplay between politics, science and business.

To ensure that the goals and backgrounds, projects and activities of the International Science Years reach professional circles and the public, they are each communicated via a separate internet portal with an event calendar and accompanied by an overarching communication campaign by the BMBF.

The project management organization Internationales Büro in the German Aerospace Center (DLR) supports the BMBF in the coordination and communication of the International Science Years.

Previous International Years of Science

So far, the BMBF has organized the following International Science Years:

  • German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology 2007.
  • German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008.
  • German-Chinese Year of Science and Education 2009/10
  • German-Brazilian Year of Science, Technology and Innovation 2010/11
  • German-Russian Year of Education, Science and Innovation 2011/12
  • German-South African Year of Science 2012/2013

German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology 2007

The motto of the German-Egyptian Science Year, which was opened by the research ministers of both countries on January 15, 2007 in Cairo , was "Linking Scientific Masterminds". It aimed to bring scientists together, to initiate joint research projects and to initiate bilateral research projects in order to strengthen scientific cooperation beyond 2007. Six research networks in the fields of materials science, water, renewable energies, biotechnology, health research, and humanities and social sciences formed the core of the Science Year. In particular, the application orientation and industrial relevance of the bilateral projects could be strengthened. At the same time, by including new university and non-university partners in Egypt, the cooperation was placed on a broader basis, for example by implementing a joint research fund (GERF) or the German University in Cairo (GUC). With more than 150 events, the German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology addressed not only scientists but also a broad audience. Examples of this are the opening ceremony in Cairo, the multimedia exhibition “Culturama” in Berlin, the “Open Ship Day” with the research vessel Meteor in Port Said, the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo , the exhibition “Sunken Treasures ”in Bonn or the mummy exhibition with an accompanying scientific program in the Stuttgart State Museum. Due to its bridging function to the Arab world, Egypt is still one of Germany's most important partner countries in the Middle East. In January 2013 a branch of the German University opened in Cairo in Berlin.

German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008

The "German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology", which opened on April 8, 2008 in Berlin , aimed to make the diversity and excellence of bilateral scientific cooperation visible and to give the research location Germany in Israel a public. Particular attention was paid to the collaboration between young scientists from both countries. The Science Year has given new impulses, including a. An emphasis was placed on application-oriented research and development cooperation and the humanities and social sciences were strengthened. A milestone on this path was the establishment of a Minerva Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Other focal points of the year were medical sciences as well as safety and environmental research. In order to further promote young scientists within the framework of German-Israeli cooperation and to improve their prospects, the BMBF launched the “Award for Research Cooperation and Highest Excellence” (ARCHES) in 2008, a prize for young scientists that is now awarded annually. The Minerva Foundation GmbH is responsible for the tendering and selection process. The German-Israeli government consultations in 2012 focused on successful cooperation in cancer research and the start of cooperation in battery research and electrochemistry.

German-Chinese Year of Science and Education 2009/10

The “German-Chinese Year of Science and Education 2009/10” ​​took place from March 2009 to June 2010 under the motto “Together on the path of knowledge”. More than 200 events, workshops and delegation trips brought Germans and Chinese from science and education, politics and society together. These included, for example, the Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau with young Chinese scientists or the participation of the BMBF in the German-Chinese promenades in Shenyang and Wuhan on the topic of "Sustainable Urban Development" organized as part of the "Germany and China - Moving Together" (DuC) series more than 300,000 visitors each. In addition, students and scientists were able to find out more about other activities in the Science Year, German educational and research institutions and funding opportunities. In Germany, the "China Weeks" took place for the first time at over 47 German universities to inform the public about the partner country and to draw attention to the potential of German-Chinese university and research cooperation. At the same time, a “film competition” was announced for the Science Year. During the Science Year, the BMBF funded China projects by German scientists with almost two million euros. The core areas of cooperation were cutting-edge research on climate, energy and health issues, as well as vocational and university education. The first and second German-Chinese government consultations (2011 in Berlin, 2012 in Beijing) raised the cooperation between the two countries to a new level. A total of seven Joint Declarations on Education and Research Topics were signed at the intergovernmental consultations. Thematically, the cooperation of the BMBF with China extends from cooperation in higher education (student / graduate / scientist exchange, university cooperation) and in vocational training to joint activities in various research areas such as B. innovation research, life sciences, environment / ecology, LED technologies, geosciences, marine research or cultural heritage.

German-Brazilian Year of Science, Technology and Innovation 2010/11

From April 2010 to April 2011 numerous events in science, research and education took place in Germany and Brazil. Under the common motto of the year "sustainable: innovative", Brazilian and German universities, research institutions, scientists and students met to exchange ideas on various issues under the overarching topics of sustainability and innovation and to initiate new bilateral projects. The aim of the events was to make the diversity and excellence of bilateral scientific cooperation better known and to give scientific-technological cooperation new impetus. Over 100 German-Brazilian events took place in the joint science year, including 60 best practice projects that were funded by the BMBF with a total of over one million euros. Highlights included the Brazil Week at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, a road show in Brazil at which the German research location was presented, the traveling exhibition "Eye of Heaven" by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and a promotional tour through Brazil, with which a study in Germany was advertised. The German-Brazilian Year initiated the establishment of an agricultural research laboratory for the Brazilian research institute EMBRAPA under the umbrella of the Helmholtz Research Center in Jülich. Since 2012, both institutions have been working more closely together in the field of plant breeding. A workshop on the topic of "Value Creation from Bioresources" during the year was the starting point for an intensified research collaboration. The cooperation is intended to advance both countries in the development of a bio-based economy.

German-Russian Year of Education, Science and Innovation 2011/12

The German-Russian Year took place from May 2011 to May 2012 with more than 200 events under the motto “Partnership of Ideas”. Priorities included basic physical research, optical technologies, marine and polar research, information and communication technologies, and biological research and biotechnology. The establishment of bilateral vocational training partnerships was promoted through a German-Russian vocational training cooperation, and joint innovation partnerships enabled research results to be converted into marketable products more quickly. Particular attention was paid to the promotion of young talent: German-Russian exchange programs and university partnerships gave young scientists from both countries better qualifications. In addition, the “Russia Weeks” took place at 18 selected German universities in order to raise awareness among students, academics and the general public for the potential of German-Russian cooperation in higher education. German and Russian science organizations, research institutions and universities and, last but not least, the ministries of both countries have campaigned for the further expansion of relations in the fields of education, research and innovation and have confirmed this in numerous documents. The “Country Campaign Russia”, which runs from 2012 to 2014 as part of the “Promotion of Germany as an Innovation Location” initiative under the umbrella brand “Research in Germany”, ties in with the German-Russian Year of Education, Science and Innovation 2011/12. It aims to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between research and science organizations. The country campaign supports marketing projects by German research institutes and innovative companies. The focus of the country campaign is on optical technologies, nanotechnology, resource efficiency and health. At the German-Russian government negotiations in April 2013, the two countries emphasized their close cooperation in polar and marine research. The study examines the decline in sea ice in the Arctic and the reconstruction of climate history over the past 3.6 million years.

German-South African Year of Science 2012/2013

From April 2012 to April 2013, the German-South African Year of Science brought together scientists from both countries in seven subject areas under the motto "Strengthening research partnerships for innovation and sustainable development": in climate research, in bioeconomy, in research on urbanization, in the health economy, in astronomy, the humanities and human capital development. One of the most important priorities of the German-South African research work in the Science Year was and is the study of climate change, its causes and effects. For this purpose, projects and workshops have been organized that deal with closed ecosystems, biodiversity, handling of water resources or changing the soil. A total of 200 events took place in the course of the year, including the first joint German-South African Antarctic expedition of the research vessel "Polarstern". As part of the ideas competition, the ministries of both countries sponsored 41 projects, and there were also school competitions, summer schools, lecture series and specialist conferences. At the end of the Science Year, the establishment of a joint research chair was agreed, which will be created in one of the seven subject areas and located at one of South Africa's best universities. In addition, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation launched the “Neville Alexander Memorial Initiative” sponsored by the BMBF.

Web links

German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology 2007

German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008

German-Chinese Year of Science and Education 2009/10

German-Brazilian Year of Science, Technology and Innovation 2010/11

German-Russian Year of Education, Science and Innovation 2011/12

German-South African Year of Science 2012/2013

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ DRWJ final report, p. 30.