Part II D: International Co-operation in Research and Innovation · 2020. 3. 13. · 3.2.2 COST –...

Part II D: International Co-operation in Research and Innovation

Excerpt from the Report of the Federal Government on Research and Innovation 2010

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Part II D: International Co-operation

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Inhalt (englisch)

part II d InternatIonal Co-operatIon In researCh and InnovatIon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

1 strategy for internationalising science and research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3241.1 Reinforcing research co-operation with the world‘s best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3241.2 Developing innovation potential internationally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3241.3 Strengthening education and R&D co-operation with developing countries, in lasting ways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3251.4 Taking on international responsibility, and tackling global challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3261.5 Cross-cutting measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

2 Bilateral co-operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3282.1 Co-operation with European countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3282.2 Co-operation with the Commonwealth of Independent States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3302.3 Co-operation with the Asian-Pacific region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3332.4 Co-operation with the U .S . and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3362.5 Co-operation with Central and South America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3382.6 Co-operation with Mediterranean countries and with Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

3 european co-operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3453.1 European Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3453.1.1 European Research Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3463.1.2 EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3493.1.3 European Research Council (ERC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3533.1.4 European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3543.1.5 Structural Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3553.2 European intergovernmental initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3563.2.1 EUREKA – The European research initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3563.2.2 COST – European Co-operation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3583.2.3 European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3593.3 European intergovernmental organisations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3603.3.1 European Space Agency (ESA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3603.3.2 European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3603.3.3 European Organisation for Nuclear Research – European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3613.3.4 European Southern Observatory (ESO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3613.3.5 European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3623.3.6 European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3633.3.7 European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3633.3.8 Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3643.3.9 European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3643.3.10 European University Institute (EUI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3653.3.11 European Transonic Wind Tunnel (ETW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3653.4 Council of Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

4 Multilateral organisations and initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3684.1 Group of Eight (G8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3684.2 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

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4.3 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3694.4 UN organisations in Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3714.5 Other international bodies and initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372List of international scientific and technical agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

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Introduction

Bilateral co-operation, with important partner countries worldwide, is central to Germany‘s international research co-operation . Such co-operation makes German research policy especially visible . This is especially important in countries with strong growth and significant emerging markets, and it is of strategic importance with regard to access to attractive science and technology resources . Bilateral co-operation is usually carried out in the framework of Science and Technology Co-operation (STC), which primarily emphasises ongoing exchange programmes and joint research projects . New approaches arise via linking of networks and clusters, and via greater inclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in technology co-operation .

In the European framework, Germany is actively participating in the establishment of the European Research Area (ERA) . For example, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is supporting efforts on behalf of the excellence and efficiency of European research and innovation . FP7, the EU‘s seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (7th research framework programme), a programme that complements national research programmes, is now the world‘s largest programme in its area . German programme applicants have a wide range of advising services to assist them in making the best use of this programme‘s opportunities . In addition, the Federal Government is contributing to the research framework programme via a network of National Contact Points (NCP) . European intergovernmental initiatives, such as EUREKA and COST, also provide an open framework for research and development in application-oriented areas . And European research organisations such as CERN make up the institutional basis for research in Europe .

In the international arena, Germany plans to take on greater research-policy responsibility, with a view to supporting efforts to tackle global challenges such as climate change, dwindling energy resources and the spread of infectious diseases . Such efforts call for multilateral initiatives on the part of the various research-policy stakeholders, along with inclusion of the major threshold countries . In the G8 and OECD frameworks, the BMBF is working to enhance multilateral co-operation in, and management of, research policy .

science and research make key contributions to efforts to deal with major global challenges . For that reason, and because international ties in many different areas of society are developing by leaps and bounds, the importance of international co-operation in science and research continues to grow . the Federal Government‘s research-policy and innovation-policy aims, in conjunction with europe‘s intention to become the world‘s leading knowledge-based economy, call for intensified use of the opportunities inherent in increasing internationalisation . the Federal Government has addressed these challenges via its strategy for the Internationalization of science and research . the Internationalization strategy is a core element of German research policy, along with the high-tech strategy, the Joint Initiative for research and Innovation and the Initiative for excellence .

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1 Strategy for internationalising science and research

The Federal Government‘s Strategy for the Internationalisation of Science and Research, along with the High-Tech Strategy, the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation, the Higher Education Pact and the Initiative for Excellence, is a key element of the Federal Government’s research and development (R&D) policy . These strategies and initiatives, via the management of the BMBF and via co-ordination with the Länder, and with the science and industry sectors, complement each other; this enhances the effectiveness of the relevant measures that have been introduced .

All of the stakeholders in Germany’s research sector are supporting the implementation of the Internationalisation Strategy; all have made internationalisation a central strategy element in their latest measures . In July 2009, a first interim report on progress in implementing the strategy was submitted to the Federal Cabinet .

The outlook for successful implementation of the Internationalisation Strategy is good: by continually expanding its state support for research and development, Germany has become more attractive, as a centre for R&D, at the global level . Expansion of international alliances within the BMBF’s programme-specific funding areas has also been proceeding successfully: the BMBF’s expenditures for international activities nearly doubled in the period from 2006 (EUR 185 million) to 2009 (planned: EUR 360 million) . In addition, contributions to international organisations and European research institutions increased slightly during the same period, (from EUR 237 million in 2006 to EUR 247 million in 2009) .

In 2009, in the framework of its Research and Academic Relations Initiative, the Federal Foreign Office (AA) 2009 increased its expenditures for international scientific/academic exchanges from EUR 190 million to EUR 233 million . The departmental research strategy of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) (BMZ research strategy) will focus on basic orientations, within the Internationalisation Strategy, that are of special relevance to development policy . Expansion of internationalisation is also an important focus of activity within the framework of the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation . In return for funding increases of at least 5 % per year through 2010, the country’s research organisations (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG), Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), Max Planck Society (MPG), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Science Association (WGL) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation (DFG), a funding organisation)

have committed to quality, efficiency and performance improvements in their various R&D areas . The Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation has enabled German science organisations to significantly intensify their international activities .

The Internationalisation Strategy’s four priority aims are as follows:

1 . Reinforcing research co-operation with the world’s best 2 . Developing innovation potential internationally 3 . Strengthening education and R&D co-operation with

developing countries, in lasting ways4 . Taking on international responsibility, and tackling

global challenges

These aims are being complemented by three cross-cutting measures, with the following focuses:

1 . International presence2 . International monitoring3 . Advertising Germany’s attractiveness as a location for studies, research and innovation

1 .1 Reinforcing research co-operation with the world’s best

Efforts in this area call for German researchers to be working more closely with the most innovative scientists in other countries . At the same time, Germany is to become one of the world’s most attractive locations for the best researchers and students throughout the world . A new residence permit for research activities, created in the framework of transposition of the EU Researchers’ Directive (Council Directive 2005/71/EC of 12 October 2005 on a specific procedure for admitting third-country nationals for the purposes of scientific research), has already significantly reduced bureaucratic overhead relative to residence and work permits . As of 1 January 2009, access to the labour market was also eased for family members (i .e . of researchers), as a further measure designed to enhance Germany’s attractiveness as a research location . With funding from the Federal Foreign Office (AA), BMBF and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ),

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funding organisations in Germany’s science sector, especially the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, have expanding their own funding measures, in recognition of the fact that mobility, and internationalisation of the German research sector, are key foundations for co-operation with outstanding institutions and research personalities . The Alexander von Humboldt Professorship – at EUR five million, the highest-value international research prize in Germany – and the Sofia Kovalevskaya Prize (which is being continued) support outstanding international scientists in moving their research and teaching activities to German universities . German universities’ international presence is being strengthened and expanded via the establishment of new international campuses and via the expansion of the DAAD programme “studies programmes of German universities abroad” (“Studienangebote deutscher Hochschulen im Ausland”) . In addition, “centres of excellence” for research and teaching are being established abroad, with the support of German universities . The first such centres are being established at a total of four locations, in Chile, Columbia, Russia and Thailand .

1 .2 Developing innovation potential internationally

Business entreprises, research organisations and universities are being supported in their efforts to develop innovation resources internationally, with a view to enhancing their positions in the global competition . As part of such support, internationalisation of clusters and networks, and of innovative SMEs, is being promoted . In 2008, an interdepartmental working group was established to that end, with representatives of the BMBF, of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and of industry associations . That group then developed a framework concept for suitable measures for supporting internationalisation of German innovation clusters . In a subsequent, related measure, the BMBF then carried out a competition oriented to development of contacts between German industry and science networks with relevant foreign networks and clusters . As of early 2010, that effort is supporting 12 German networks in developing co-operation with partner clusters in a total of six target countries .

The BMBF‘s Top-Cluster Competition, which was launched in 2007, supports high-powered clusters as they move toward positions of international leadership . The aims of such support call for selected clusters to enhance their attractiveness via international co-operation . An initiative of the BMWi, “Competence Networks Germany”, links over 100 of the top-performing innovation clusters, in a total of nine innovation areas, and supports development of internationally visible clusters . Since May 2009, the BMWi has supported initiation of international technology co-operation, between SMEs and

partners in economically and technologically important countries outside of the EU, by holding co-operation-highlighting events in relevant countries .

1 .3 Strengthening education and R&D co-operation with developing countries, in lasting ways

The Internationalisation Strategy is expected to significantly enhance relevant co-operation with developing countries by expanding co-operation in vocational training, tertiary education, science and research – all key areas – with such countries . At the same time, such co-operation is expected to develop relevant capacities in developing countries . And such capacity development, in turn, will make it easier for German education, science and research organisations to network with partners in development countries, thereby building a good basis for joint efforts on current global challenges . In each case, instruments and co-operation areas are selected in accordance with the needs of the partners in the relevant countries and regions . In such efforts, co-ordination and linking of the activities of the various stakeholders, in Germany and in partner countries, and integration of such activities within multilateral processes, is especially important .

In January 2008, the BMBF and BMZ concluded an interdepartmental agreement on the creation of a co-ordinated framework, for the two ministries, relative to co-operation with developing countries in the areas of education, science and research . Co-operation within this framework is already underway in the area of vocational training, and is expected to be expanded to other areas . Current efforts in this framework are concentrated especially on intensifying co-operation with Sub-Saharan Africa and with Arab countries . In a current initiative, for example, the BMBF is financing Regional Centres of Competence for Climate Change and Adapted Land Management in Africa . The centres are being established in co-operation with African partners . In the process, relevant infrastructures (centres of competence) and supporting research programmes are to be established, in various African regions, and are to be linked with each other and integrated within German and international research activities . At the same time, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), working under commission to the Federal Foreign Offce and the BMZ, is establishing specialised centres in Africa . In June 2009, for example, the Ghanaian-German Centre for Development Studies and Health Research was established in Accra in this context . That institution is part of a network of five centres, located in Ghana, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia and South Africa . Also, since 2003, the Volkswagen Foundation has operated a successful programme, oriented especially to Africa, for joint research projects .

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Development (OECD) . Furthermore, German government and science-sector representatives are participating in the Global Science Forum (GSF), which develops recommendations relative to fundamental orientations in international research, including the research infrastructure (cf . Chapter 4 .2) .

Currently, the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) is developing a strategy, for its research institutes, for promoting international co-operation, with a view to intensifying its international co-operation on such issues as improving the world food situation .

1 .5 Cross-cutting measures

International presence

“Science Counsellors” (Wissenschaftsreferenten) play a central role in contacts between Germany and relevant partner countries, as well as in reporting from such countries . In addition, in the interest of ensuring that all German institutions abroad that are involved with science, research and innovation present themselves in an improved, unified and consistent manner, the Federal Foreign Office, the BMBF, the presidents of Germany’s research and funding organisations and the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) have agreed to establish German Houses of Science and Innovation (DWIH) . DWIH are planned for Moscow, New Delhi, New York, São Paulo and Tokyo .

International monitoring

The purpose of international monitoring is to provide the German research sector with relevant national and international information and analyses relative to international R&D co-operation . Such information and analyses, in turn, have the purpose of facilitating and streamlining use of the opportunities, inherent in international co-operation, for reinforcing scientific excellence and for developing markets for research-intensive German companies . The central component of the international monitoring effort is the information portal www .kooperation-international .de, which is now visited some 150,000 times per month . Reports on strategic developments in leading industrialised and threshold countries are presented in the electronic newsletter ITB Infoservice, available for subscription at www .kooperation-international .de .

advertising Germany’s attractiveness as a location for studies, research and innovation

Since 2006, the German science, research and innovation sectors have been presenting themselves abroad with the help of the motto Research in Germany – Land of Ideas . A new campaign, Study in Germany, will establish a second pillar in marketing and advertising aimed at attracting foreign

1 .4 Taking on international responsibility, and tackling global challenges

Germany wishes to use its research and innovation resources to help solve global challenges in the areas of climate, resources, health, security and migration . As an added effect, this orientation will boost the Federal Government’s efforts toward its foreign-policy and development-policy aims – as well as toward its science-policy aims – in a convincing manner . Along with the direct search for knowledge-based solutions for the problem areas mentioned, the overall effort is focussed on improving the research-policy and administrative framework for intensified international co-operation with regard to these global challenges . By assuming international responsibility in science’s efforts to tackle global challenges, Germany can enhance representation of legitimate German interests – interests related to Germany’s own vulnerability to global risks (climate change, epidemics, resource scarcities); the fact that relevant research subjects and fields are found in other countries (biodiversity, resources deposits); and the insight that global application of research findings can create enormous export opportunities for German industry . The following factors strongly suggest that greater emphasis needs to be placed on multilateral R&D co-operation:

1 . Increasingly, economic globalisation, in combination with the aforementioned challenges, is necessitating global action;

2 . Multinational R&D co-operation accelerates the dissemination and effectiveness of German research findings, calls attention to German scientists and, for participating companies, creates global-scale export opportunities;

3 . Multinational co-operation between researchers promotes multilateral consensus formation, by governments, relative to global challenges (this effect has been seen in connection with the IPCC, for example) .

In the coming years, the BMBF plans to improve the framework for multilateral research co-operation and to use Europe as a platform for asserting interests at a global level . In the G8 and G20 frameworks, the Federal Government has been initiating and supporting intensified research and technology co-operation (cf . Chapter 4 .1) . Following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the BMBF is aiming to intensify European-level support for this political orientation . By assuming the chair of the Strategic Forum for International S&T Cooperation (SFIC), Germany is emphasising that international R&D co-operation relative to global challenges, in addition to requiring strong national bases, increasingly needs to be co-ordinated at the European level . In close co-operation with the BMWi, the BMBF is continuing its work in the OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy, as well as in other research-policy bodies of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

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students . To enhance the relevant measures’ effectiveness, various campaigns with theme and country focuses will be implemented, each for a period of about 1 1/2 years . Theme-specific approaches will lend themselves to efforts in all relevant countries (i .e will not be country-specific), while the country-specific approaches will lend themselves to efforts in all theme areas (i .e . will not be theme-specific) . The Internet portal www .research-in-germany .de offers relevant foreign audiences in the areas of science and research a central source of information about Germany’s research sector .

A budget of some EUR 5 million per year has been earmarked for measures in the framework of the campaign “Advertising to promote Germany as a centre for innovation” (Werbung für den Innovationsstandort Deutschland; 2007-2011) . In a complementary effort, Germany Trade & Invest, the new foreign trade and inward-investment agency of the Federal Republic of Germany, provides information – in the framework of its market efforts – about research and technology in Germany .

Bilateral “Science Years”, which are funded by the BMBF, contribute significantly to Germany’s visibility abroad; to date, these have included the German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008 (cf . Chapter 2 .6), the German-Chinese Year of Science and Education 2009/2010 (cf . Chapter 2 .3), and the German-Brazilian Year of Science, Technology and Innovation 2010/2011 .

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2 .1 Co-operation with European countries

Co-operation with European countries is of central importance for Germany . Much of it is bilateral co-operation, carried out primarily within multilateral frameworks . Reinforcement of co-operation, and expansion of partnership relationships, enhance co-ordination and promote synergies between projects and partners . Joint initiatives, and identification of areas of common interest, strengthen European strategy development, while also helping to shape the European Research Area . Important aims of co-operation include a) co-ordination of joint measures for the establishment and expansion of international research alliances and b) design of frameworks that will support stakeholders' strategic orientations in international competition . Such activities are oriented to implementation of the Federal Government's Internationalisation Strategy within European countries, and are focussed especially on research co-operation with the world's best and on international development of innovation resources .

This is also the context for the programme International Co-operation in Education and Research; Central, Eastern, and Southeast European Region, via which the BMBF is supporting development of contacts relative to projects in national and European funding programmes . In 2007, Germany entered into dialogue with five central and eastern European countries – Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – on the area of research for sustainability . In 2008, that dialogue was intensified in the framework of the BMBF Forum for Sustainability .

Numerous examples of Germany’s close co-operation with European partners can be cited that highlight the structural diversity and thematic breadth of such co-operation overall .

In addition to Germany, a total of 12 other European countries are participating in the XFEL European X-Ray Laser Project, which is to be carried out by 2013 at the DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron – “German electron synchrotron”) facility in Hamburg . The same number of European partners are involved in the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), an international research facility that is to be built by 2015 at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt . In 2009, it was decided, with the participation of a number of European countries, to locate the European Spallation Neutron Source (ESS) in the city of Lund,

2 Bilateral co-operation

Sweden . The ESS, along with the region’s existing and planned research infrastructures, will provide an outstanding basis for expansion of co-operation between Germany and Sweden and between Germany and other countries in the region (cf . Chapter 3 .2 .3) .

In co-operation with Italy, the Federal Government operates Villa Vigoni, a German-Italian centre located in Menaggio (on Lake Como), as a forum and encounter centre for science, education and culture . For its part, the BMBF co-operates with Italy in the framework of the DIH (Deutsch-Italienisches Hochschulzentrum – “German-Italian university centre”) and of the German Historical Institute (DHI) . In co-operation with Villa Vigoni and with the French organisation Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, the DFG funds research conferences in the area of the humanities and social sciences .

In co-operation with Romania, the New Europe College Bukarest (NEC) is worthy of special mention . The NEC is an institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences that is being supported by a range of public and private institutions in European countries, including the BMBF .

With their programmes and individually oriented support, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation contribute significantly to mobility and co-operation in science and research . In France, the UK, Italy and Poland, the Foundation of German Humanities Institutes Abroad (DGIA) supports research in the areas of history, cultural studies, economic and social sciences, while also promoting mutual understanding between Germany and those countries .

The German Research Foundation (DFG) supports international Research Training Groups in co-operation with over ten European countries . Other backers of bilateral co-operation include the Max Planck Society (MPG), the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG) and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Science Association (WGL), as well as various departmental research institutions . EU-supported research in the health-care sector includes large areas of the central competence of the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) and Robert Koch Institute (RKI), both of which are departmental research institutions within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) .

With their numerous international contacts, throughout all areas of research and development, federal departmental research institutions contribute significantly to the maintenance and further development of Germany’s excellent

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and efficient infrastructure . In the process, they compete internationally for scientific funding and make their findings available to an international public . By combining research, scientific services and performance of statutory tasks, the country’s departmental research institutions, as well as its ministries and other public institutions, are able to offer solid, scientifically formulated bases and contexts for decisions relative to proper fulfillment of tasks . Via an increasingly international range of testing, certification and licensing tasks, such institutions help to uphold high standards of quality and security in Germany and Europe . Results of their international R&D projects enter into national and European efforts for defining rules and establishing standards . In this context, federal departmental research institutions represent German interests in numerous specialised bodies, both national and international, thereby making significant contributions to European and international legislation and relevant harmonisation . In addition, via their international contacts, such institutions develop well-founded proposals for precautionary measures and crisis-situation options, thereby providing a basis for effective risk management .

France

France is Germany’s most important partner among all EU countries . The significant factors in co-operation with that country include Franco-German Ministerial Councils, a framework for regular co-ordination . The Forums on Franco-German Research Co-operation also play an important role in further development of bilateral co-operation . They provide new impetus for the co-operation and promote networking throughout the two countries’ research sectors . At the third such Forum, held in 2008 in Paris, the participating research-policy partners reached agreement on the following issues of strategic interest: strengthening of the European Research Area, research infrastructures, strategies for research into climate change and interaction between science and industry .

Numerous institutional-level partnerships and agreements testify to the close relations between Germany and France . The Max Planck Society (MPG) and the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), for example, co-operate closely in the framework of research laboratories and research groups . The German Research Foundation (DFG) also co-operates closely with French partners, especially the CNRS and Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) . In 2009, the DFG and the ANR held three joint calls for proposals, in the areas of chemistry, the humanities and social sciences and nutrition science . The joint virotherapy research group sponsored by the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) and the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg serves as an outstanding example of the close institutional co-operation between German and French research institutes .

In 2008, on the occasion of the third Forum on Franco-German Research Co-operation, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft concluded a co-operation agreement with the Association des Instituts Carnot (AICarnot) . In November 2008, the BMBF and

the ANR issued a first joint call for project proposals, oriented to the major topic Programme Inter Carnot-Fraunhofer (PICF) – Edition 2009, and with focus topics in the areas of civil security, the environment, energy, health, information and communications technologies and transport .

A wide range of co-operation relationships is also in place at the level of the BMBF’s specialised programmes . Close co-operation has been underway for years in the area of plant-genome research, for example . That effort was developed from co-operation between the national programmes Génoplante and Genome Analyse in the Biological System of Plants (GABI) . A next step in this area consisted of joint participation within the ERA-Net Plant Genomics . That then led to the initiative Transnational Plant Alliance for Novel Technologies – towards implementing the Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy in Europe (PLANT-KBBE), in which Spain, Portugal and Canada are also involved, in addition to Germany and France . Furthermore, in 2008/2009 the BMBF and the ANR jointly issued calls for proposals in the areas of genomics and pathophysiology of circulatory and metabolic disorders, as well as in the area of civil security research . In health research, bilateral co-operation is well-established especially in the area of cancer research, via co-operative projects involving the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) and French partners . Yet another example of the partnership and co-operation between the two countries in the areas of research and technology is seen in polar research; the polar research stations of the Alfred Wegener Institute and of the Institut polaire français Paul Emile Victor, located in Ny-Ålesund on the isle of Spitzbergen, have been merged .


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The Franco-German University (Deutsch-Französische Hochschule; DFH), which is funded jointly by Germany and France, and the Centre Marc Bloch (CMB) have assumed important tasks in the two countries’ science support . The DFH supports the establishment of joint programmes of studies and, in co-operation with the DFG, promotes the establishment of joint Research Training Groups . The CMB, a Franco-German centre for social-sciences research that is located in Berlin, carries out interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences, as well as promoting the development of young researchers in those fields .

UK

The UK, along with France, is a reference point for Germany’s innovation policy in the framework of the Treaty of Lisbon and in the European Research Area . The UK is emphasising intensive participation in the EU’s seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (FP7), as well as systematic internationalisation . A range of German institutions are well-represented in the UK, including the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, various industrial associations, various chambers and large German companies (via UK offices) . Germany and the UK are preferred partners for each other with a view to efforts toward global competitiveness in new innovation fields, and especially with regard to the themes of the High-Tech Strategy . In addition, the UK functions as a valuable “bridgehead” for Germany, with regard to the U .S . and the Commonwealth countries, in the area of of research policy and innovation policy .

poland

Co-operation with Poland continues to develop very favourably . The co-operation covers a broad range of topics, including health research, environmental and sustainability research and the humanities and social sciences . In April 2008, the BMBF and the Polish Ministry of Science sponsored the first Forum on German-Polish Research Co-operation . The event, held in Leipzig, was very well-received, with central focuses that included providing support for young scientists and researchers and strengthening relevant partnerships and networks . In December 2008, representatives of both ministries signed a joint declaration on research for sustainability . The aim of the declaration is to intensify co-operation in the areas of sustainable development, innovation, climate change, renewable energies and environmentally friendly technologies . In May 2008, a bilateral conference on research for sustainability was held in Warsaw that marked the beginning of the BMBF’s “Dialogue for Sustainability” with central and eastern European countries . A bilateral innovation forum held in November 2009 in the city of Poznań focussed on renewable energies . In 2008, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS), located in Dresden, and

the Wrocław University of Technology, located in Wrocław, opened the Fraunhofer Project Center for Laser Integrated Manufacturing . In the area of clinical neurosciences, national programmes were linked with two joint calls for proposals, and a total of 23 German-Polish projects were supported from 2002 to 2010 . The German-Polish Science Foundation, which was established in 2006 by the Federal Government and the state of Brandenburg, commenced its funding activities in fall 2008 . Co-operation between the two countries, in the framework of the foundation, is governed by a government-to-government agreement . The foundation’s purpose is to promote research co-operation and international understanding in the framework of German-Polish projects, especially projects in the area of the humanities and social sciences .

Co-operation between the eU and third countries in the Western Balkans

A range of EU-funded European network projects (cf . Chapter 3 .1 .2) in which the BMBF and its International Bureau are participating are aimed at strengthening integration of Western Balkan Countries (WBC) within the European Research Area (ERA) . In April 2009, on the basis of the successful measures carried out within the SEE-ERA .NET (www .see-era .net/) project for co-ordination of national policies for co-operation with the southeastern European region, SEE-ERA .NET PLUS (http://plus .see-era .net/) was launched . That effort is a network project involving 17 institutions from 14 European countries, including (for example) France, Austria, Greece and Slovenia, as well as Germany . The project is focussed on a joint call for proposals for Joint European Research Projects, and it has a total budget of some EUR 3 .5 million – 27 % of it cofinanced from EU funds . Since January 2008, the 26 partners in the Western Balkan Countries Inco . Net (WBC-INCO .NET) have been engaged in co-operation . WBC-INCO .NET supports the Steering Platform on Research for the Western Balkan Countries, a forum for political dialogue between high-ranking representatives of the science and research ministries of the EU Member States, the Western Balkan Countries and other countries associated with the EU’s FP7 . Other aims of this project, which is scheduled to run for four years, are to analyze the WBC’s research resources and priorities, to identify topics for future joint programmes and projects and to expand WBC researchers’ participation in the European Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development . (www .wbc-inco .net/object/news/list)


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2 .2 Co-operation with the Commonwealth of Independent States

Co-operation with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – the successor states of the Soviet Union – plays a centrally significant role in implementation of the Federal Government’s Internationalisation Strategy . Such co-operation builds on those countries’ traditional scientific strengths, which – in some of the countries in question – are being accessed for strategic expansion of science resources, are boosting growing markets in close proximity to the EU and are making the region a strategically important player in efforts to solve global problems – in energy security, especially, but also in the area of climate change . The co-operation also builds on the traditionally close relationships in place between science organisations, universities and innovative companies in Germany and in the relevant partner countries . The co-operation draws additional impetus from the close partnership, between the EU and the region, in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy concept; the European concept of the new Eastern Partnership; Europe’s Central Asia strategy; and the EU’s special relations with Russia and the Ukraine .

The central legal basis for the co-operation is the government-to-government agreement on scientific and technological co-operation that was signed with the former Soviet Union . That agreement, which entered into force in 1987, continues to be recognised by the relevant legal successors . When the various successor states of the Soviet

Union became independent, new bases for co-operation with individual countries were created via joint declarations (for example, with Ukraine in 1993, with Belarus in 1996, with Uzbekistan in 1998 and with Russia in 2009) .

The co-operation covers nearly all areas of science, research and technology, although the partner region‘s traditional strengths lie in the natural sciences and in engineering . In addition to scientific co-operation in the narrower scense, the emphases of the co-operation include co-operation in the area of of innovation and in further development of science systems with regard to the still-continuing transformation and reform processes in the CIS countries . The focus countries for science and technology co-operation in the region include the Russian Federation (Russia), Ukraine and selected additional CIS countries . In many research areas, many of the partner countries view Germany as their most important international partner .

The International Science and Technology Center (ISTC), in Moscow, and the Science und Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU), located in Kiev, open up special opportunities for co-operation with the CIS‘ excellent research institutes, which formerly were closed to outsiders . In addition, they offer co-operation perspectives for scientists and engineers who were formerly employed in the weapons sectors of Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries . The two centres, whose financing sources include the EU, promote innovative projects in civil basic research, applied research and technical development, and they provide support for commercialisation of relevant findings and results .


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russian Federation

As a result of its geopolitical importance, its vigourous economic growth and its strong scientific resources, the Russian Federation is one of Germany’s most important partners for strategic co-operation . In April 2005, the two countries issued a “Joint Declaration on the German-Russian Strategic Partnership in Education, Research and Innovation”, thereby expressing their political will to expand their successful co-operation throughout a broad spectrum of research areas . Via their STC agreement, amended in 2009, the two sides have created a framework for viable further development of the co-operation in future .

The key elements of the state research co-operation, representing the basis for numerous bilateral projects, are specialised agreements, including agreements in the areas of development and implementation of accelerator-based photon sources, optical technologies, marine and polar research, information and communications technologies and biological research and biotechnology . The Dialogue for Sustainability with Russia (D4S Russia) effort, which has been initiated by the BMBF, must be seen in the context of a specialised agreement on innovation strategies and technologies for sustainable environmental protection and for efficient use of natural resources . The dialogue serves as a forum for defining, and bilaterally implementing, specific research topics in the areas of sustainable ecological, economic and societal development (for further information cf . Part D, Chapter 4 .5 and www .dialogue4s .de) .

Furthermore, a German-Russian nanotechnology experts’ group has been established, charged with identifying co-operation areas of common interest and of developing proposals for a joint Nanotechnology Initiative . In the area of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV), a total of 30 joint agricultural research projects are being supported, throughout a research spectrum that includes the areas of plant cultivation/plant protection, soil fertility, energy-crop cultivation, use of forest resources, infectious diseases/zoonoses, biodiversity and food security .

In addition, Germany and Russia are co-operating successfully in development and construction of internationally significant large scientific apparatus . For example, both countries are active partners in the XFEL and FAIR projects . Furthermore, both Germany and Russia are co-operating in the European Polar Research Icebreaker Consortium (ERICON), an association of ten European countries that is focussed on building the world’s most advanced research ship, the “Aurora Borealis” . The ship, which is to be launched in 2014, is to be a combination icebreaker, drilling vessel and multi-purpose research ship, and it is to be able to operate year-round in Arctic waters .

A project-management-agency partnership agreed in December 2007, between the BMBF’s International Bureau and the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE), is an important element in development of co-

operation between innovative German and Russian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) .

Along with the two governments’ initiatives, activities in the framework of the strategic partnership include the many relevant programmes and projects launched by German science and research organisations . Relevant representative examples include the extensive bilateral funding activities of the German Research Foundation (DFG), including several Research Training Groups; a growing number of “Helmholtz Russia Joint Research Groups”; and programmes of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for promotion of German-Russian exchanges of scientists . Additionally, the Moscow offices of relevant German organisations (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HFG), DFG, DAAD) are helping to intensify relevant bilateral contacts .

Ukraine

Co-operation between Germany and Ukraine, in science, technology and innovation, and in education, has a long tradition . Among CIS countries, Ukraine is second only to Russia in terms of its importance as a partner for Germany . And the co-operation has been acquiring additional significance via Ukraine’s prominent role in the framework of the European Union’s Neighbourhood Policy . The co-operation focuses include the areas of new technologies, especially nanophysics/nanotechnology, and nanobiotechnology (in one relevant event, a Ukrainian-German Nanobiotechnology Research and Education Centre was founded in 2009); life sciences (including medical technology); and the environment and sustainability . In 2010, bilateral co-operation in the area of agricultural research began, with a project on fruit cultivation .

The high points of the bilateral science and research co-operation in 2009 included the “Days of German Science and Research in Ukraine 2009” . That event, sponsored by the German embassy in Kiev, helped to publicise Germany’s research and education sectors in the framework of implementation of the Federal Government’s Internationalisation Strategy .

other CIs countries

The other CIS countries with which Germany co-operates bilaterally are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus . (Germany also co-operates actively with Georgia, which is no longer a member of the CIS .)

Co-operation with central Asian CIS countries, which function as links between Europe and Asia, is expected to continue growing in importance . In June 2007, the Federal Government, and the European Council, adopted a strategy for central Asia in whose design Germany played a central role . The focus countries for the strategy are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan . Scientific research and technological development are central elements


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of the strategy; important sub-areas include energy, measures for water-resources infrastructure, the environment, education, sustainability and the establishment of a broadband data network, an “e-Silk Road” . Several of the partner countries, such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, have strongly growing economies and are investing growing amounts of funding in reconstruction and expansion of their national research sectors . In 2010, Kazakhstan will become the first CIS country to assume the chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), a position that will intensity its links with Europe . The BMBF’s aim in this connection is to make use of these opportunities for expanding scientific co-operation with the region, on the basis of joint interests and joint (financing) instruments and, in the process, to co-operate closely with science and agency organisations, as well as with relevant foundations such as the Volkswagen Foundation . The EU’s new Eastern Partnership, the development of which is of overarching political interest for the Federal Government, will further intensify co-operation with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Belarus .

In keeping with the region’s scientific resources, project partnerships play a role in co-operation – also from the perspective of the BMBF’s specialised programmes . The BMBF is thus funding selected projects relative to various programme priorities . In Kazakhstan, the BMBF, working via the programme “studies programmes of German universities abroad” (“Studienangebote deutscher Hochschulen im Ausland”), and in co-operation with the Federal Foreign Office (AA), is supporting the German-Kazakhian University (KNU) . In the region of Khorezm, in Uzbekistan, the BMBF is supporting the third phase (2007-2011) of a collaborative research project, in the area of development/sustainability research, that is being carried out with a view to economic and ecological restructuring of the country’s land and water use .

eU-third-country co-operation with the Commonwealth of Independent states

With the aim of promoting scientific contacts between EU Member States and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the BMBF and its International Bureau are participating in research-policy co-ordination projects from the EU’s sixth and seventh framework programmes for research (FP6 and FP7) (cf . Chapter 3 .1 .2):

S&T International Cooperation Network for Eastern European and Central Asian Countries – IncoNet EECA, in which Germany has a central role, is expected to lead, in accordance with German interests, and via bi-regional dialogue, to lasting intensification of co-operation between stakeholders (from the areas of policy, science and industry) from countries of the European Research Area (ERA) and from eastern European and central Asian countries . It is also expected to significantly expand joint participation in the framework programme for research . (www .inco-eeca .net/)

The programme Enhancing the bilateral S&T Partnership with the Russian Federation – BILAT-RUS is expected to help

intensify Russia’s participation in the EU’s framework programmes for research and to help optimise the framework for science co-operation between the EU and Russia . The project ERA .NET-RUS (Linking Russia to the ERA: Coordination of MS´/AC´ S&T programmes towards and with Russia), on the other hand, is focussed on co-operation between a) project management agencies from EU Member States and associated countries and b) Russian funding organisations . It is also aimed at execution of joint calls for proposals and funding programmes . The aims of both projects – intensified German-Russian co-operation, in the framework of multilateral programmes, and transnational co-ordination of activities of national funding agencies – usefully complement Germany’s efforts to intensify research co-operation with Russia . (www .bilat-rus .eu/ and www .eranet-rus .eu/)

Enhancing the bilateral S&T Partnership with Ukraine – BILAT-UKR, a multilateral project, is aimed at intensifying Ukraine’s participation in the EU’s framework programmes for research, as well as at optimising the framework for science co-operation between the EU Member States, and associated countries, and Ukraine . (www .bilat-ukr .eu/)

2 .3 Co-operation with the Asian- Pacific region

From political, economic and scientific perspectives, the Asian-Pacific region is becoming one of the world’s leading regions . For Germany, that region continues to grow in importance especially with regard to international co-operation in the framework of the High-Tech Strategy . The region ranks third in importance, after Europe and North America, in the area


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of knowledge production, a status that is highlighted, for example, via the world’s fastest rates of growth in publication . Measured in terms of co-publications, Japan continues to be, far and away, the country in that region with which German researchers co-operate most intensively, followed by Australia and China . South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand are also strong partners . The BMBF can look back on long and successful co-operation with China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia . At the same time, it is orienting itself, conceptually, to the profound changes that have occurred in the Asian-Pacific region over the past few years – for example, by engaging in co-operation with Singapore, an up-and-coming research centre .

In the process, the aims of the Federal Government’s Internationalisation Strategy, with regard to the potential in the various relevant countries, are serving as a basis for planning for all future measures . In addition, Germany’s national co-operation aims are increasingly being integrated within a European framework, via Germany’s active participation in EU projects for co-ordination of research with non-EU countries . Such orientation is thus giving Germany, and European partners, additional options for intensifying research contacts with countries in the Asian-Pacific region .

On the basis of long-term exchange programmes and joint research projects, German institutes are now receiving intensified support for establishment of joint research and education structures . Such support is now benefitting the German-Singaporean arthritis network (“deutsch-singapurisches Rheuma-Netzwerk), for example . Existing co-operation, which in many cases is at cutting-edge standards, is thus being giving a lasting perspective, and Germany’s visibility in Asia, as a research centre, is being enhanced . In keeping with the aforementioned ongoing process of adaptation to the rapidly changing frameworks in the region, the BMBF’s strategy in connection with long-term projects now also includes the participation of international development banks that seek to enable research findings to benefit people quickly and specifically . In addition, the BMBF is pursuing approaches involving linking of networks and clusters, as well as greater inclusion of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in technology co-operation .

As a result of the strong economic growth of the region’s countries, activities that link research and industry interests are increasingly taking on a central role . The German science sector’s growing presence in Asia – via such activities as “Science Years” and via the growing number of offices of German research and funding organisations in the region – is helping to make partner countries more aware of Germany’s importance as a centre for research and education .

China

China, one of the world’s most successful economies at present, continues to build its research resources, especially by rapidly increasing its expenditures for education and research and by emphasising intensive education programmes

for scientific staff . In many areas, Chinese scientists and research institutions either have attained the standards of industrialised countries or will soon be attaining such standards . The Chinese innovation strategy announced in February 2006, which covers the period until 2020, is aimed at promoting China’s science and technology, especially with the aims of enhancing innovation and reducing China’s dependence on foreign technology . Chinese efforts in these areas have been strongly emphasising sustainability and the importance of basic research . China has also been strongly expanding the capacities of its higher education system, and it has been organising its universities within a pronounced hierarchy (establishment of elite universities) . China’s increasing integration within the international community is also reflected in the growing international co-operation and involvement of Chinese scientists . In recent years, Germany and China have continued to markedly intensify their co-operation in education and research . As a result, China has become Germany’s most important Asian STC partner, in terms of both numbers of projects and the relevant financial volume . German-Chinese STC is co-ordinated by joint government commissions . Those bodies, which meet every one to two years, are complemented by joint steering committees in the following specialised areas: biotechnology, geosciences, nutrition, agriculture, consumer protection and food safety, information technology and microsystem technology, protection of cultural assets, laser and optical technologies, materials research and nanotechnology, marine research and marine technology, environmental technology and ecology, production engineering and education .

With a view to making a wider audience – beyond a narrow circle of experts – suitably aware of the great importance of German-Chinese co-operation in education and research, the BMBF and China’s education and research ministries have initiated the German-Chinese Year of Science and Education 2009/2010 (DCJWB) . This Science Year, which is integrated within the Federal Government’s Internationalisation Strategy (cf . Chapter 1 .5), offers scientific and education institutions in both countries an opportunity to publicise their co-operation and to intensify their exchanges, especially with regard to future-oriented topics . The Science Year has its own Internet portal (www .deutsch-chinesisches-jahr-2009-2010 .de), and the site includes a newsletter, a calendar of events and a film about research and education in China . From March 2009 to June 2010, German and Chinese scientists will carry out numerous workshops, conferences and delegation visits relative to the Year’s topics . The primary aims in this context include establishing additional German-Chinese studies programmes leading to dual degrees, moving relevant bilateral R&D projects forward and, over the longer term, building joint institutions such as the Shanghai Partner Institute for Computational Biology, a joint effort of the Max Planck Society and the Chinese Academy of Sciences . With a total of 56 bilateral co-operation projects in the area of agricultural sciences, China’s is Germany’s most important partner, in terms of numbers, in that field . The research areas plant


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cultivation/plant protection, animal health/animal breeding, bioenergy, food safety, forestry and climate change are the primary focuses within the overall area .

India

India is a focus country for the BMBF’s science and technology co-operation . The pertinent STC agreement, which has been in place since 1974, calls for co-operation in three complementary areas: exchanges of students and young scientists and researchers, joint research projects within the BMBF’s specialised programmes, and mobility projects for development and execution of joint research projects . The thematic focuses, pursuant to the STC agreement, are: biotechnology, health research, information technology, environmental research, sustainability research, materials research, space research, marine research, production engineering and disaster/security research . Via joint funding programmes, the BMBF co-operates with a total of five different ministries in India . Co-operation in the areas of life sciences and engineering is particularly intensive .

The milestones in bilateral co-operation with India have included the inauguration of the “Indo-German Science and Technology Centre” (IGSTC), which took place on 9 September 2008 in New Delhi and was presided over by Minister Schavan and her then counterpart, Mr Sibal . In an initial phase lasting until 2012, the IGSTC is to serve as a vehicle for supporting joint research projects in biotechnology, energy research, environmental research, health research and production engineering . Support will amount to a total of EUR 20 million (with the BMBF contributing up to EUR 10 million) . In the main, so-called “2+2” technology projects (involving an academic partner and an industrial partner from each country) are to be supported .

For the period 2009 to 2010, India has been selected as the focus country for the international advertising campaign Research in Germany – Land of Ideas (cf . Chapter 1 .5) . The campaign, which is called India and Germany – Strategic Partners for Innovation, was launched on 9 September 2008 in the framework of the aforementioned kick-off event in New Delhi, which was attended by high-ranking representatives of both countries . In additional, sector-specific presentations of Germany’s research and technology sector, continuing until a “Technology Show” that is to be held in New Delhi in the 2nd quarter of 2010, partners in India will be given numerous opportunities for contact with German research organisations and technology companies . The broad range of events currently being held includes presentations at specialised congresses and conferences, as well as workshops, “multiplier” events, partnering events and lectures . All events are aimed at scientists and decision-makers at universities, research organisations and R&D-oriented companies, as well as at young scientists and researchers, “multipliers” and investors .

Following the signing, in September 2008, of a declaration of intent on “Science for Sustainability” by German Minister of Education and Research Schavan and her counterpart, Minister

Sibal, India is one of five partner countries for the BMBF-initiated international Dialogue for Sustainability (D4S) . The thematic emphases of the dialogue with India were highlighted at two Indo-German conferences: energy, land use, water resources and waste management . In the area of energy, the BMBF is participating actively in the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), which has a new sub-group, on research co-operation in the energy sector, that is charged with enhancing bilateral interdepartmental co-operation .

Further information: cf. Part D, Chapter 4.5 and www.dialogue4s.de

India’s readiness for greater international openness is exemplified by an Indian Ministry of Education initiative for accreditation of foreign universities in India, as well as by plans to create opportunities for foreigners to obtain tenure-track positions at Indian universities . The BMBF has launched the DAAD programme A New Passage to India with a view to encouraging more students from Germany to take up studies in India and to learn more about the modern country as it is today . The programme provides funding for study and research stays, as well as for internships in Indian industrial companies . In addition, the programme is also aimed at Indian students who wish to study in Germany . In the framework of bilateral intergovernmental co-operation, the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) has identified education in rural areas as a focus area and has reached agreement with the Indian Ministry of Agriculture on relevant closer co-operation .

vietnam

In recent years, Vietnam has continued to be a dynamic partner for the BMBF in southeast Asia . The BMBF’s partners in that country include the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) . Although the co-operation has retained its main thematic areas of environmental technology and biotechnology, it has been continually broadened . In 2009, a jointly financed funding programme, with a largely open topic spectrum, will be made available as a new instrument for science co-operation . Research co-operation in the area of water-resources and wastewater-management technology has been growing in importance for the German companies participating in relevant collaborative research projects . The BMBF and the MoST are now jointly funding a project office in Hanoi, with a view to supporting the two countries’ long-lasting co-operation in the areas of water-resources and environmental technology .

In February 2008, the then Hesse Minister of Science and the Arts, Udo Corts, and Vietnam’s Vice Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Thien Nhan, signed a declaration for establishment of the Vietnamese-German University (VGU), with headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) . The university


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has been founded as a result of the Vietnamese government’s interest in modelling a university in Vietnam after German universities . For the long-term, the VGU is aiming to become an excellent regional centre for research and teaching . For the period until 2012, the BMBF is currently funding over 50 % of the establishment-related expenditures . In light of Vietnam’s extensive needs to modernise in the area of education and continuing education for farmers (especially young farmers), the BMELV plans to offer relevant training and education, with the support of the BMBF and under the sponsorship of the Vietnamese and German farmers’ associations .

eU-third-country co-operation with countries in the asian-pacific region

With the aim of promoting scientific contacts between EU Member States and the Asian-Pacific region, the BMBF and its International Bureau are participating in research-policy co-ordination projects from the EU’s sixth and seventh framework programmes for research (FP6 and FP7) (cf . Chapter 3 .1 .2):

Coordination of Research between Europe and China – CO-REACH is a regional ERA-NET that is being supported by the European Commission, under the FP6 and for a five-year period (as of May 2005), with funding of EUR 3 .9 million . The effort is being co-ordinated by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) . The aim of the project is to intensify and co-ordinate research/funding co-operation between the participating 14 partners, representing eight EU Member States, and the People’s Republic of China . The partners on the German side are the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the BMBF, with its International Bureau . In October 2008, a pilot programme was launched for promoting European-Chinese research projects, seminars and workshops in the area of the humanities and social sciences . The programme, including its call for proposals, is the first European-Chinese effort of its kind . Of a total of 14 selected projects, 11 include German participation (of those, two are being co-ordinated by German researchers) . (www .co-reach .org)

The Korean Scientific Cooperation Network with the European Research Area – KORANET is being supported, as an ERA-NET, under the EU’s FP7 . With a total budget of EUR 2 .4 million, it runs from 2009 to 2012 and is being co-ordinated by the BMBF’s International Bureau . The project, which includes 11 project partners, from a total of nine European countries, and one Korean partner, is aimed at intensifying and developing research/funding co-operation between the EU Member States and Korea . Those aims are to be achieved via a range of analytical work (mappings, foresight studies and other reports), and a European-Korean call for proposals, oriented to support of joint research projects and various relevant events (such as conferences and workshops in Europe and Korea) . (www .koranet .eu)

The Initiative for the Development and Integration of Indian and European Research – New INDIGO is an ERA-NET with India that is being supported under the FP7 . It involves a total of 14 partners, from nine countries, including India .

Scheduled to run from 2009 to 2012, the project has a total budget of EUR 2 .5 million and is being co-ordinated by the French national research organisation CNRS . The BMBF’s International Bureau is responsible for execution of a joint call for proposals . The aims of New INDIGO include refining existing co-operation instruments, identifying thematic areas for co-operation, holding of a joint call for proposals and linking India with the European research sector . (www .newindigo .eu)

Facilitating the bi-regional EU-ASEAN Science and Technology Dialogue – SEA-EU-NET is a network project that involves a total of 16 institutions, representing 12 countries in Europe and southeast Asia, and is aimed at reinforcing scientific networking between those two world regions . The project will establish a long-term forum for bi-regional research-policy dialogue between EU Member States and ASEAN countries (southeast Asia), with a view to defining joint research-policy aims, eliminating information deficits on both sides and increasing participation, by southeast Asian researchers and research organisations, in the EU’s 7th Framework Programme of Research and Technological Development (FP7) . The project is currently building, with great success, a network of EU Contact Points in southeast Asia . The project is slated to run from 2008 to 2011, and it has a total budget of EUR 2 .9 million . It is being co-ordinated by the BMBF’s International Bureau . (www .sea-eu .net)

2 .4 Co-operation with the U .S . and Canada

Germany plans to intensify its co-operation with world’s best and most innovative, that is one of the emphases of the Internationalisation Strategy adopted by the Federal Government in 2008 . Science and technology co-operation with the U .S . and Canada, two North American industrialised countries, plays an important role with regard to this strategic orientation . Research organisations in that region continue to be leaders in global knowledge production . Co-operation with partners in the U .S . covers all areas of science and research . It comprises a wealth of initiatives, as well as several thousand individual grants per year that enable scientists and students to stay in the relevant partner country for research/study . In addition, Germany and the two countries have a tradition of intensive information exchanges with regard to numerous joint or complementary research projects .

In recent years, Canada has made significant new investments in research and development . As a result, the resources available to its research institutes have improved strongly, and relevant funding organisations and strategic funding programmes have achieved noteworthy growth . These gains have made Canada an attractive and important partner in co-operation in education and research .


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U .s .

Co-operation between Germany and the U .S . has been decentrally organised to date, and it is run, largely autonomously, by research organisations, research institutes and researchers . In February 2010, an intergovernmental agreement on science and technology co-operation (STC agreement) was signed, with the aim of strengthening and strategically orienting the co-operation . In addition, over 50 bilateral co-operation agreements between individual institutions are in place; these agreements form the basis for a tight network of German-American research projects . Most recently, in 2009 the BMBF and the Californian Institute of Regenerative Medicine concluded an agreement on closer co-operation in the area of regenerative medicine . In addition, the BMBF and National Science Foundation (NSF) have concluded an agreement on co-operation in the area of computational neuroscience .

Co-operation extends to all areas of research, science and technology . The areas worthy of special mention include space, climate and environmental research and basic physics research . Co-operation in the area of space continues to be focussed on the International Space Station (ISS), to the construction of which Germany is making a major contribution .

In July 2001, the BMBF and the U .S . Department of Energy signed an agreement on co-operation in the area of dense plasmas . That agreement was the first to be signed on the basis of an interministerial agreement dating from 1998 .

In March 2009, an interdepartmental agreement on civil security research was signed, thereby opening the way for co-operation in that important research area . In addition, a relevant first programme of work has been agreed .

In July 2008, the Max Planck Society opened its first institute in the U .S ., the Max Planck Florida Institute . For its part, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has been active in the U .S . for 15 years . The many programmes in place for student and scientist exchanges are also worthy of mention (including programmes of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, German Research Foundation (DFG) and Fulbright Foundation) . Since 2007, working under the motto Research in Germany – Land of Ideas, German universities, research and research-funding organisations have presented themselves at the annual MIT S&T Career Fair in Boston .

Under the administration of Barack Obama, a new international openness has been seen in R&D in the U .S ., especially in the areas of energy, climate/the environment and health . The BMBF is seeking to position itself, as a strong partner, with regard to areas of relevance for German research . Co-operation is being developed especially in the research areas energy and climate/environment . Germany and the U .S . also plan to intensify their co-operation in the area of vocational training . The important topics in that area include “green” occupations (requiring formal training); qualification standards for mechatronics; and lifelong learning, especially

with regard to the permeability and equivalence of educational systems and to interfaces between vocational training and academic education .

With regard to the construction and joint use of large scientific apparatus, trans-Atlantic co-operation also takes place at the multilateral level . Relevant co-operation includes U .S . and Canadian involvement in the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) as well as U .S . participation in the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) . In addition, German and U .S . research institutions are co-operating in the construction of the IceCube neutrino telescope, located at the South Pole, and in the construction of the ALMA radio telescope in Chile .

Canada

In 1971, Germany and Canada signed an intergovernmental agreement on science and technology co-operation . In a joint ministerial declaration of 2001, expansion of scientific and technological co-operation in areas such as new materials, photonics and green biotechnology was agreed . In the co-operation, special attention is being given to inclusion of young scientists and researchers . Current focuses of the co-operation include the areas of medicine, green biotechnology, photonics/optical technologies and nanotechnology . Furthermore, joint research projects in the area of of fuel cells are being prepared .


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Co-operation has also been established in the following areas:

• In the area of geosciences, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) carries out research projects in co-operation with the Geological Survey of Canada, especially in the fields of marine and terrestrial environmental geology and polar geology .

• The German Aerospace Center (DLR) co-operates directly with the Canadian Space Agency . The emphases of that co-operation include robotics research, joint use of radar data and sharing of ground stations .

• In June 2007, the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HFG) and the Canadian National Research Council again signed a co-operation agreement that provides a framework for funding of joint projects in the areas of energy, life sciences and environmental research .

• The Helmholtz-Alberta Initiative, an agreement signed in September 2009, provides for co-operation in sustainable use of oil sands and coal .

• In keeping with current global challenges, multilateral projects are playing an increasingly important role – for example, in environmental and marine research, space programmes and climate protection .

In light of the continuing safety risks in freight shipping, the German embassy in Canada and the Canadian-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK) have prepared a workshop on the issue of container safety, with a view to also developing that field for German-Canadian co-operation . Other EU countries have also expressed interest in the issue . German-Canadian co-operation is also being intensified in the area of mobility promotion . In November 2009, a workshop on that subject was held, with the participation of German and Canadian stakeholders .

eU-third-country co-operation with Canada

The ACCESS2Canada Project (Supporting EU Access to Canadian Research and Innovation Programmes), which is being promoted, with BMBF participation, via the FP7, analyses the participation of European researchers in national Canadian funding programmes, as well as opportunities for such participation . (access4 .eu)

2 .5 Co-operation with Central and South America

Germany’s traditional ties to Latin American countries, in the areas of culture, policy and industry, have made that region an important co-operation partner for Germany . In March 2009, Minister Schavan visited Chile, Brazil and Columbia . The aims

of that trip included intensifying co-operation in education and research, including intensifying strategic co-operation in those areas, an orientation repeatedly emphasised by German Chancellor Merkel on her Latin America trip of May 2008 .

From April 2010 to April 2011, a German-Brazilian Year of Science, Technology and Innovation is taking place . That Year is an important element of efforts to implement the Internationalisation Strategy (cf . Chapter 1 .5) in Brazil, a focus country . The Science Year is expected to provide lasting impetus for German-Brazilian co-operation in selected areas of strategic importance and to enhance the visibility of the co-operation .

In keeping with the intent behind the Internationalisation Strategy, innovation forums, the international Dialogue for Sustainability (D4S) and visits of Latin American experts to exhibitions in Germany are all helping to enhance use of innovation resources and to internationally highlight Germany’s attractiveness as a centre for research and development . Education fairs that are co-organised by the DAAD (EUROPOSGRADOS) meet with great interest in Latin America .

Since 2009, a number of Latin American countries have been holding two-year celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of their independence (bicentenarios) . The exhibits and displays that Germany is presenting on this occasion include the Max Planck Society’s Science Tunnel1, a science exhibit that is to be shown in Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and Columbia . The BMBF is supporting that effort – also with a view to advertising Germany’s attractiveness as a centre for research .

Brazil

Brazil is Germany’s most important Latin American partner for co-operation in education and research . In March 2009, on the occasion of a visit by Minister Schavan, a joint declaration of intent was signed for establishment of German-Brazilian dialogue on research co-operation in the areas of science, technology and innovation for sustainability . Relevant priority topic areas were then discussed at a first bilateral conference on sustainability research (cf . Part D Chapter 4 .5 and www .dialogue4s .de) . During the Science Year, a research station (LABEX site) of the Brazilian agricultural research organisation EMBRAPA is to be established in Germany .

The STC with Brazil is based on a framework agreement, updated in 1996, on co-operation between Germany and Brazil in scientific research and technological development . The framework agreement has been completed and detailed via a number of individual agreements . In 2007, the areas of aerospace, climate and sustainability, agriculture, health, education and training were selected as the emphases for future co-operation . Excellent potential for intensifying co-operation is seen in the fields of bio-organic chemistry, nanotechnology and

1 Traveling multimedia exhibit of the Max Planck Society that presents insights into the most recent areas of knowledge .


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new materials, production engineering, material-flow management and logistics, urban development in megacities and information and communications technologies . Environmental and sustainability research, and marine research, have traditionally been a central focus of co-operation . In addition, the BMBF’s specialised programmes finance extensive relevant research projects, especially in the area of environmental and sustainability research . In 2009, bilateral projects were carried out in the following areas: study and protection of biodiversity in the Atlantic coastal rain forest, ecological impacts of sugarcane cultivation, the condition of marine ecosystems, issues of water resources and wastewater management and environmental management in ports . In the vicinity of Manaus, the Amazonian Tall Tower Observation Facility (ATTO) is being built by the MPI Mainz, in co-operation with the Amazon research institute INPA, for study of climate-relevant trace gases and their sources and sinks . The aim of the project, which is being supported by the BMBF, is to enhance forecasting of future climate developments and to improve understanding of the mechanisms prevailing in interactions between the biosphere and the atmosphere . In the area of virus diagnostics, the Paul Ehrlich Institute co-operates closely with blood banks in São Paulo, in the framework of standardisation projects of the WHO . The aim of the co-operation is to have WHO standard preparations reflect viral genotypes that are typical for South America .

Annual calls for proposals are issued, at two-year intervals, with the aim of promoting exchanges of scientists, in the framework of mobility projects in the agreed priority areas . On the German side, support is provided by the BMBF; on the Brazilian side, it is provided by the National Council for Research and Development (CNPq) . The BMBF also supports measures for publicising Germany’s research sector and for technology transfer . Such efforts include innovation fora for potential Brazilian partners – events at which German scientists have the opportunity to present themselves and their technology areas .

Chile

Chile has a well-developed research and development sector . The country’s R&D system has been successfully integrated within international co-operation frameworks . The basis for science and technology co-operation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Chile consists of an intergovernmental agreement dating from 1970 . As a result of the political conditions in the country, the framework agreement was not activated until 1999, when a joint STC commission met in Chile for the first time . The second meeting of the joint STC commission then took place in November 2009, in Santiago de Chile . Within the framework of the bilateral science and technology co-operation, joint calls for proposals have been issued annually since 1999 . Funding is provided jointly, in co-operation with Chile’s National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT), and it is administrated via the BMBF’s International Bureau . In

addition, the BMBF contributes about one-fourth of the total funding for the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which has four locations in Chile .

In May 2008, Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile, announced a new programme for promotion and intensification of continuing education abroad, for highly motivated university graduates (Sistema Bicentenario Becas Chile) . In March 2009, in the framework of that new grant programme, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Inwent – Capacity Building International, Germany each signed an agreement, with the Chilean Ministry of Education, calling for promotion of master’s and doctoral degree studies, research stays by postdocs and studies at institutions (universities) providing vocational training . In the area of university co-operation, the contacts between the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) and its Chilean partner organisation CHRUCH are worthy of special mention . In spring 2009, an agreement on a German-Chilean doctoral studies programme was signed . That agreement calls for the establishment of four to six joint PhD research groups . Currently, the “Higher Education Compass” of the German Rectors’ Conference lists a total of 113 German-Chilean university-to-university co-operation projects .

CORFO, the Chilean Economic Development Agency, has introduced a new funding instrument that supports the establishment of foreign centres of excellence in Chile . On the German side, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have applied for funding under that instrument .


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considerably more than 1 % of GDP . Colombia has a tradition of co-operation between universities, research organisations and industry, and such co-operation is successfully supported by the state – for example, via funding of national centres of excellence with industry participation . As a result, Colombia’s attractiveness as a co-operation partner for Germany has grown sharply in recent years .

argentina

Argentina is among Germany’s most important Latin American partner countries, and Germany has had bilateral STC in place with that country for many years . The basis for co-operation with Argentina consists of an intergovernmental agreement dating from 1969 . The co-operation partner now is the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation (MINCyT), which was founded in November 2007 . Argentina has many highly qualified scientists . It also has excellent research facilities throughout a spectrum of fields of a breadth otherwise seen, in Latin America, only in Brazil and Mexico . In November 2008, the “German-Argentinian Week of Scientific and Technological Co-operation”, with numerous events, was held in Buenos Aires, at the initiative of the BMBF and the MINCyT . The central events during the Science Week included a meeting of the joint STC commission (the first such meeting in 11 years) . On the German side, the meeting was chaired by them State Secretary Meyer-Krahmer . It was agreed that the high quality of German-Argentinian relations, in the areas of education and training, science, research, technology and innovation, is to be further enhanced, via concrete measures .

Activities of the Max Planck Society (MPG) are particularly worthy of mention in this regard . In Buenos Aires at the end of 2007, the MPG established the world’s second MPG partner institute in the area of biomedicine (the first was opened in Shanghai) . The new institute facility is to be commissioned at the end of 2010 . In addition, in 2008, a DAAD-supported master’s degree programme, “International Master Program in Biomedical Sciences” (IMBS), a joint effort of the University of Freiburg (Albert-Ludwig-Universität Freiburg) and the University of Buenos Aires, commenced . At the beginning of March 2010, on the occasion of May (2010) celebrations relative to the 200th anniversary of Argentina’s independence (“Bicentenarios”), a declaration of intent was signed relative to the establishment of a German-Argentinian university centre . In 2009, in preparation for the establishment of that facility, a study detailing the Argentinian research sector (“Argentinian research map”) was prepared, under commission to the BMBF . German and Argentinian companies plan to play a key role in the phased development of the university centre .

eU-third-country co-operation with latin america

Along with bilateral co-operation, bi-regional co-operation, between the EU and Latin America, has been growing in importance (cf . Chapter 3 .1 .2) . At the last ALCUE summit, held in Peru in May 2008, and involving countries of Latin America,

Mexico

Mexico has a unique position among Germany’s partner countries in Latin America . The basis for the two countries’ co-operation in research, technology and education consists of an intergovernmental agreement that Germany and Mexico signed on 6 February 1974 . On the Mexican side, the central co-ordinating and financing agency for the STC is the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) . In education issues, the Mexican Ministry of Education (SEP) also becomes involved .

The current emphases of the BMBF’s co-operation with Mexico include: biotechnology, environmental technologies, climate protection and sustainable development, production engineering, information and communications technology, marine research and technology and basic research in the areas of renewable energies and energy efficiency . Synergies are being sought via co-operation with other ministries (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)/Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)) – for example, in the areas of technologies for urban environmental protection and for renewable energies . The highlights of the co-operation include an international master’s degree programme in environmental and resources management that is offered jointly by the Cologne University of Applied Sciences (FH-Köln) and the University of San Luis Potosí, and is jointly financed by the BMBF, BMZ and CONACYT . A satellite reception station in Chetumal (Yucatan) is another example of the successful STC . In co-operation with Mexican partners, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) installed the necessary infrastructure, in Chetumal and Mexico City, and established a remote-sensing group to analyse the satellite data . Among other benefits, the data make it possible to provide supra-regional, timely information about forest fires . In May 2009, the German Research Foundation’s (DFG’s) first international Research Training Group in Latin America was approved in Mexico . The co-ordinating partner on the German side is Freie Universität Berlin, while the partner on the Mexican side is the renowned Colegio de México .

Colombia

Colombia has been growing in importance within the framework of Germany’s co-operation with Latin America . While Germany and Colombia have not yet signed an STC agreement, the two countries’ governments are seeking to intensify German-Colombian co-operation . On the occasion of the Expo Columbia 2009 (26 to 31 October), the BMBF and its Colombian counterpart ministry engaged in talks to that end .

Training and higher education are among the emphases of President Uribe’s policy in the battle against crime and the impacts of the civil war . Relevant measures are setting examples for all South America . Currently, Colombia is in the process of restructuring its national research system, and its expenditures on research have been increased to a level of


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co-operation with developing countries in education and research, in lasting ways (die Zusammenarbeit mit Entwicklungsländern in Bildung und Forschung nachhaltig stärken) . Significantly, bilateral co-operation in this area is integrated within science and research strategies that are evolving within a multilateral framework, particularly a European Union framework, and that Germany is actively helping to implement . In future, both bilateral co-operation and co-operation in regional and multilateral contexts are to be intensified .

Bilateral co-operation with Mediterranean countries is concentrated especially on Turkey, Israel, Jordan and Egypt . South Africa is the most important co-operation partner among Sub-Saharan African countries .

turkey

Since 2005, a working group for science, research and technology has defined joint activities, including such efforts as theme-focussed workshops for establishing co-operation, and funding programmes for intensifying scientifically oriented university co-operation and for promoting young scientists and researchers . In addition, application-oriented research, especially research with the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is being supported .

The relevant bilateral agreements and funding programmes of the German Research Foundation (DFG), of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the some 290 German-Turkish higher education partnerships in place, are worthy of special mention . The growth seen in ERASMUS co-operation, and in the dual-degree study programmes offered via co-operation between the two countries’ universities, and

the Caribbean and the EU, the important role of co-operation in science and education was again confirmed – especially with regard to promoting sustainable development – and measures for intensifying such co-operation were decided . The ALCUE summit to be held in Madrid in May 2010 is expected to bring further progress in this orientation .

Bilateral co-operation relations with Latin America are supported by multilateral projects:

The ERA-NET EULANEST (European Latin American Network for Science and Technology) was already supported under the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6) . At the end of 2009, that network carried out a joint funding measure with the participation of Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Norway, Argentina and Brazil . (www .s2lat .eu/eulanest)

IncoNet EULARINET (European Union – Latin America Research and Innovation Networks), in which Germany has a leading role, is focussed on sustainable intensification of co-operation via bi-regional dialogues between stakeholders in the areas of policy, science and industry . As part of such efforts, specific measures for intensifying Latin America’s participation in the Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7) are being designed and implemented . (www .s2lat .eu/eularinet)

The so-called “BILAT” project, UEMEXCYT II (Bureau for EU-Mexican Science and Technology Cooperation – Step II), provides targeted support for Europe’s research and technology co-operation with Mexico . The main aims of that multilateral project include building productive dialogue between the most important stakeholders for the STC, in both Mexico and the EU, and developing possibilities for partnerships between science and technology organisations on both sides .

In the framework of the Access4EU project, APORTA (Supporting EU Access to Brazilian National research programmes), the possibility of participation by European scientists in Brazlian funding programmes is being analysed . An effort is being made to open Brazilian programmes up further for participation by researchers from EU Member States/associated countries . Aporta is establishing a Web portal that will provide centralised information about funding opportunities for German researchers, and other European researchers, in the national programmes of various third countries . (www .acess4 .eu)

2 .6 Co-operation with Mediterranean countries and with Africa

In the context of current global challenges, the importance of science and technology co-operation with Mediterranean countries and with Africa has been growing constantly . Both regions are important regions with regard to the Internationalisation Strategy’s action area Strengthening


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communications technology, marine and geological research and – an added new field – civil security research .

The cornerstones of the co-operation include the Minerva Foundation (since 1964), the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF; since 1986) and German-Israeli Project Cooperation (Deutsch-Israelische Projektkooperation; DIP; since 1997) . The Minerva Foundation promotes bilateral research co-operation in a wide range of ways: via Minerva Research Centers at Israeli universities and research institutions, via awards of grants, and special support available for young scientists and researchers (since 2008) and via the Minerva-Weizmann Program (Minerva Projects Programme at the Weizmann Institute) . Also since 2008, the Minerva Foundation has administered the BMBF’s “ARCHES” prize, which is awarded annually to two young German-Israeli research teams, in annually alternating research fields . The GIF promotes cutting-edge research in nearly all science fields, with annually changing priorities . In 2000, the foundation also established a special programme for young scientists and researchers .

German-Israeli Project Cooperation (DIP) is aimed primarily at interdisciplinary teams of scientists collaborating in innovative fields . Since early 2008, the programme has been administered by the German Research Foundation (DFG) . For 40 years now, another programme, the German-Israeli Programme on Co-operation in Vocational Education and Training, has enabled vocational training experts from both countries to meet for dialogue and to develop innovative approaches and test them in practice . In addition to the BMBF’s programmes, other programmes as well highlight the intensity of German-Israeli research co-operation . Among these are numerous activities of the DFG, of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and of various private foundations (especially the Volkswagen, Thyssen and Krupp foundations) .

The Stiftungsfonds Martin Buber Gesellschaft der Forschungsstipendiaten in den Geistes-, Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften (in brief: Stiftungsfonds Martin-Buber-Gesellschaft; Foundation fund of the Martin Buber Society for research grants in the humanities and cultural and social sciences) was established in 2009 . The Society’s purpose is to promote interdisciplinary and intercultural academic dialogue between outstanding young academics from the Federal Republic of Germany and Israel, in all fields in the humanities and cultural and social sciences .

Jordan

The basis for Germany’s science and technology co-operation with Jordan consists of a bilateral agreement of 1981 on cultural co-operation . The German Jordanian University (GJU), which opened in 2005, has the potential to serve as a platform for developing efficient research co-operation in the region . Modelled after German universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen), it offers practically oriented coursework, primarily in technical and engineering fields . It is helping

the agreement for the establishment of a German-Turkish University in Istanbul (commencement of regular operations: fall 2010) are further examples of the new vitality seen in science and research co-operation in this area . Germany also co-operates with Turkey in numerous EU-third-country projects – for example, in projects in the southern Mediterranean region, the Western Balkans and the Black-Sea region (cf . also Chapters 2 .1 and 2 .2) . In addition, via a range of targeted events, the BMBF has been promoting joint participation in research projects within the EU’s FP7 framework .

In the area of nutrition and agricultural science, in 1983 the Association of German-Turkish agricultural and natural scientists (Verband deutsch-türkischer Agrar- und Naturwissenschaftler – VDTAN) was founded, with regard to the agricultural-department partnerships in the context of the Hohenheim/Adana, Göttingen/Ankara and Giessen/Izmir university partnerships . The VDTAN consists of an independent German section and an independent Turkish section . The purposes of the association are to promote contacts between the scientists of both countries, to promote the academic development of young scientists and researchers, to hold joint scientific symposia and to promote and exchange scientific publications . The instruments used to achieve these aims include symposia and workshops, at alternating venues (alternating between Turkey and Germany) . The association also works to find internships for students . The association’s 9th symposium took place from 22 to 26 March 2010 at Mustafa Kemal University, located in Antakya-Hatay in southeastern Turkey . The symposium topics included issues pertaining to climate change, the environment and renewable resources .

Israel

German-Israeli science co-operation paved the way for the two countries’ resumption of diplomatic ties . To the present day, that co-operation has lost none of its special importance within Germany’s bilateral relationships, and it continues to be especially diverse and dynamic . Most recently, the two countries’ bilateral co-operation was given important new growth impetus via the German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008 . In 2008 and 2009, more than 70 different “Year” events were held in the two countries, with focuses that included the humanities, health and environmental research and promotion of co-operation between the young scientists and researchers of both countries . At the ministerial level, the BMBF (since 1973) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU; since 2005) co-operate with the Israeli Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport (MOST) . In 2001, co-operation between the BMBF and the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labour (MOITAL) was launched . The emphases of such interministerial co-operation lie in scientific and technological areas, such as environmental technologies (especially water technologies), cancer research, biotechnology, information and


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Antarctic/marine research, astronomy, and technology-oriented fields such as materials research and biotechnology .In 2008, the two countries signed a joint declaration of intent relative to sustainability research, with a list of sustainability-oriented thematic emphases for joint research projects . The particularly noteworthy efforts in the co-operation include the EnerKey project, which is aimed at developing sustainable solutions to energy problems, taking account of relevant technical, economic, ecological and social perspectives . The project is also developing instruments for sustainable energy planning for South Africa’s Gauteng urban region .

other sub-saharan african countries

The BMBF’s activities in other Sub-Saharan African countries include funding for regional collaborative research projects aimed at pressing issues in the participating countries:

BIOTA (BIOdiversity Monitoring Transect Analysis in Africa), being carried out in southern Africa (with Namibia and South Africa), east Africa (with Kenya and Uganda) and western Africa (with Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Burkina Faso), is studying biodiversity changes in Africa, especially such changes resulting from climate change and expanding and changing human land use .

IWRM models (Integrated Water Resources Management) are expected to help improve current water-resources management in river basins on the border between South Africa and Mosambique and in the north of Namibia .

The overarching aim of the Global Change and the Hydrological Cycle (GLOWA) programme is to develop systems that support decision-making in connection with climate change, thereby facilitating sustainable management of vital water resources .

In light of the drastic impacts of climate change in Africa, the BMBF recently developed an initiative for establishment of centres of competence for climate change and adapted land management, and it is planning relevant implementation in co-operation with African partners . In the process, relevant infrastructures (centres of competence) and supporting research programmes are to be established, in various African regions, and are to be linked with each other and integrated within German and international research activities . Capacities in Africa are to be strengthened via requirements-/application- oriented research, comprehensive capacity-building and advising services for policy-makers, authorities and other stakeholders . In light of the complexity of its subject, the project will initially be carried out in western and southern Africa – i .e . in regions in which excellent experience has been gained, via the BIOTA-Africa and GLOWA projects, in co-operation with African partners . Additional centres in eastern and northern Africa could conceivably be added later . The BMBF’s initiative has been positively received by African partners, because it is in harmony with regional policies and with many national strategies for adaptation to climate change .

Other relevant stakeholders in Sub-Saharan African countries include German science and research organisations .

to implement a national reform programme for orienting training to industry requirements and to the need to connect with the global knowledge society . In July 2009, ministers of both countries with responsibility for higher education signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on further active political, scientific and financial support for the GJU .

In one effort to address the region’s water scarcity, Germany and Jordan have been partnering closely in the BMBF’s major regional water projects, with a view to making water use more efficient and to managing scarce water resources sustainably . Prominent projects in this context include Global Change and the Hydrological Cycle (GLOWA) and Sustainable Management of Available Water Resources with Innovative Technologies (SMART) .

egypt

An intergovernmental agreement from 1979 provided a first basis for German-Egyptian science and technology co-operation (STC) . In the area of co-operation in higher education, the German University in Cairo (GUC) – which was established in 2003 and now has 6,200 students – is worthy of special mention . The institution has co-operation agreements in place with the universities of Ulm, Stuttgart and Mannheim . The curricular spectrum of the GUC – one of the Federal Government’s largest projects in its effort to export German studies programmes – includes engineering, applied sciences, economics, administrative sciences, multimedia design, communication and media sciences, management and life sciences . In the scope of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV), two projects are being supported via mobility funding .

The most important results of the German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology, which was carried out in 2007, was the establishment of a joint research fund . A pertinent agreement between the BMBF and the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) has already been successfully implemented: more than 90 project applications have been submitted since the first joint call for proposals was issued in fall 2008 . Since May 2009, a total of 18 of these, all joint projects in various areas of application-oriented research, are being supported for a period of two years . As a result, in the STC with Egypt new impetus has been provided for new emphases in application-oriented and industry-oriented research . A second joint call for proposals is planned for 2010 .

south africa

South Africa is the primary focus of the BMBF’s bilateral co-operation in Sub-Saharan Africa . The BMBF has maintained bilateral science and technology co-operation with that country since 1996 . The co-operation between the two countries has developed superbly, and it now covers a broad spectrum of topics of joint interest, including such topics as environmental research and research for sustainability (relative to land, water and energy),


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Currently, German organisations are intensifying their co-operation with Sub-Saharan Africa . Relevant examples include the Africa initiative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and a German Research Foundation (DFG) announcement in the area of infectiology . The many university partnerships in place between German and African universities – most of them subject-area-oriented – are also an important part of the overall co-operation sector . The regional focuses for such partnerships are on southern and east Africa .

eU-third-country co-operation, and multilateral co-operation, with Mediterranean and africa countries

The Monitoring Committee for the Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation in RTD2 (MoCo) plays an important role in strengthening research in the Mediterranean region and European-Mediterranean research co-operation . The MoCo is a forum for political dialogue between high-ranking representatives of ministries of science of the 43 partner countries in the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) . MoCo provides impetus for joint, and bilateral, activities involving European and Mediterranean countries, and it co-ordinates ongoing projects . MoCo’s work is supported by the EU-funded project INCO-NET MIRA (Mediterranean Innovation and Research Coordination Action), in which the BMBF participates, via its International Bureau (cf . Chapter 3 .1 .2) . MIRA works to intensify regional co-operation (EU – Mediterranean countries), in the context of the EU’s 7th Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7), and in the areas of energy, the environment, health research, agriculture and information and communications technologies . In addition, it works to intensify technology transfer and innovation activities . (www .miraproject .eu/)

In addition, via its International Bureau, the BMBF is participating in CAAST-Net (Network for the Coordination and Advancement of Sub-Saharan Africa – EU Science & Technology Cooperation), a project funded by the EU Commission within the FP7 . A total of 18 partners, from 17 African and European countries, are participating in the project . The project’s concrete aim is to enhance scientific co-operation, both qualitatively and quantitatively . (www .caast-net .org)

With regard to Africa as a whole, the BMBF is working actively on implementation of the 8th Partnership (science and research, information and communications technologies, space) within the joint EU-Africa strategy (Lisbon 2007) . It is also supporting the establishment of a joint, bi-regional political dialogue on research policy, a dialogue with the participation of stakeholders from the political, science and development-co-operation sectors, from both the European Research Area and African countries .

In the first half of 2007, during the German EU Council Presidency, Germany, working via the direction of the BMBF, joined with the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in organising the first Euro-Mediterranean

2 RTD: Research Technology & Development

ministerial conference (EUROMED) on higher education and research . The conference was held in Cairo . At that event, a joint declaration was signed, the “Cairo Declaration – Towards a Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education & Research Area”, which formulates ambitious, concrete goals for Euro-Mediterranean co-operation in the areas of higher education, research and innovation . A second ministerial conference is planned for 2010 .

Education and research are one of six priorities within the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), a newly created political framework .

Outside of the framework of EU co-operation, the UNESCO project SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) plays an important role in regional integration . The effort, with participants that include Israel, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, is aimed at strengthening basic physics research throughout the entire region . SESAME was established in Jordan, with substantial assistance also from Germany, and opened in 2008 . Germany has observer status in the project (France has such status as well); this is helping to intensify the traditionally good relations between Germany and Jordan .

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3 .1 European Union

european CommissionRue de la Loi 2001049 Brussels, Belgium

Council of the European UnionRue de la Loi 1751048 Brussels, Belgium

27 Member states

Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, UK, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Cyprus

legal status

The legal foundations for European research co-operation are set forth in Title XIX “Research and Technological Development and Space” (Articles 179-190) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) .1

aims

The Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on 1 December 2009 . In it, the European Union has enshrined the objective of strengthening its scientific and technological foundations by creating a European Research Area in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely . Other objectives include developing the competitiveness of the European Union and its industry, and promoting all research activities deemed necessary by virtue of other Chapters of the Treaties (cf . Article 179 TFEU) . In pursuing these objectives, the European Union carries out programmes for research, technological development and demonstration (Framework Programmes) (cf . Article 180 TFEU) .

In the Treaty of Lisbon, the relevant objective as defined is defined more broadly than it previously was . In one of the new

1 Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, signed at Lisbon, 13 December 2007; Download: http://europa .eu/lisbon_treaty/full_text/index_en .htm

3 European co-operation

aspects, the European Union is empowered to enact measures, in addition to the actions set forth in the Framework Programme, that are necessary for the implementation of the European Research Area (cf . Article 182 (5) TFEU) . Consequently, the Union’s latitude for action, with respect to the European Research Area, is given an additional, separate basis of competence .

The EU Commission’s existing competence for co-ordination, with regard to the research policies of the Member States, is detailed in Article 181 (2) TFEU as follows: it “may take any useful initiative . . . in particular initiatives aiming at the establishment of guidelines and indicators, the organisation of exchange of best practice, and the preparation of the necessary elements for periodic monitoring and evaluation” .

In Article 4 (3) TFEU, research policy (Articles 179-190 TFEU), in the catalogue of “shared competences, is defined as a separate competence in which the Union “shall have competence to carry out activities, in particular to define and implement programmes”; however, “the exercise of that competence shall not result in Member States being prevented from exercising theirs” . Accordingly, when the European Union exercises its competence, no “blocking effect” pursuant to Art . 2 (2) TFEU occurs, the i .e . Union and the Member States may both support research activities and carry out programmes .

In keeping with that orientation, the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and FDP of 26 October 2009, for the 17th legislative period, specifies that Germany should actively help shape the European Research Area . In addition, the agreement expresses support for strengthening the role of the Member States .

structure and budget

Policy decisions on the research areas to be funded and the level of funds to be allocated are taken jointly by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament and set out in a multiannual framework programme for research . Since the first framework research programme (1984-1987),

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the funding provided from the EU budget has increased continually, to a total of EUR 54 .4 billion for the FP7 for the period 2007 to 2013 .2

3 .1 .1 european research area

At the European Council meeting held in March 2000 in Lisbon, Europe’s heads of state and government reached agreement on the objective of making the EU the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, by the year 2010 . Research and innovation play a decisive role in the achievement of this so-called “Lisbon goal” . Two years later, at the European Council meeting in Barcelona, the EU Member States agreed that shares of GDP going to research and development should be increased to nearly 3 percent by 2010, with two-thirds of this amount coming from the private sector .

Since then, creation of the European Research Area has been one of the lead ideas pertaining to orientation of the European Community‘s measures in the area of research – and, thus, for funding measures within the Research Framework Programmes .

The idea of the „European Research Area“ was introduced in the early 1970s by Ralf Dahrendorf, then Commissioner of Research . Commissioner of Research Philippe Busquin reintroduced the idea with regard to the summit meeting in Lisbon . In January 2000, he presented the memorandum „Towards a European Research Area“3 . The central objective defined by the concept is to network, at the programme and project levels, R&D measures of the Member States with R&D measures of the European Commission; previously, the measures of the two sides had been largely unco-ordinated . Such networking is to be achieved via:

• Integration of research infrastructure and centres of excellence at the European level, with such integration to include joint use of infrastructures;

• Improved co-ordination, between the Member States and the European Commission, of research programmes and policies;

• Increased private investments in research and development;

• Development of a joint scientific and technical reference system, via research that provides the necessary basis for political decisions;

• Strengthening of human resources, and increasing of mobility;

• Enhancement of the attractiveness of the European research sector;

2 The budget for FP7 amounts to EUR 50 .521 billion for the period 2007–2013: For the area of Euratom, an additional EUR 2 .751 billion are included for the period 2007–2011; if one extrapolates the Euratom budget for the period 2007–2013, one obtains a total budget of EUR 54 .4 billion .

3 Communication from the Commission “Towards a European Research Area” of 18 January 2000, COM (2000)6, Download: http://ec .europa .eu/research/era/era-history_en .html

• Definition of common ethical criteria .

Seven years after the first communication on the European Research Area, the European Commission issued a communication on the European Research Area (Green Paper)4 that summed up progress thus far and, in April 2007, under the German EU Council Presidency, presented proposals for a reorientation of the ERA on the basis of six central objectives:

1 . Establishment of a unified European employment market for researchers;

2 . World-class research infrastructures;3 . Strengthening of European research institutions via better

networking and co-operation and via formation of innovation clusters;

4 . Establishment of a simplified, harmonised system of rules for rights to intellectual property, to enhance the efficiency of knowledge-sharing;

5 . Better co-ordination of research programmes and focuses;6 . Wide opening of the European Research Area to the world .

At the Informal Competitiveness Council held in Würzburg on 26/27 April 2007, European ministers of research welcomed the emphases in the Green Paper as a good basis for further development of the ERA .

Numerous elements that are central to the ERA’s further development have already been created in the Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7) (running from 2007-2013) . These include the establishment of the European Research Council (ERC; cf . Chapter 3 .1 .3); the execution of Joint Technology Initiatives (JTI), on the basis of Article 187 TFEU (ex-Article 171 TEC); further development of ERA-Nets, into ERA-Net PLUS structures, and, in a next phase, increased application of measures pursuant to Article 185 TFEU (ex-Article 169 TEC) (use of variable geometry in opening of national programmes, i .e . decisions on participation are voluntary), in the interest of better co-ordination of national programmes . Other new elements include the expansion of mobility measures; further opening of the Framework Programme for scientists from throughout the world; and enshrinement of new topics of special European relevance, such as civil security research .

In May 2008, the Council of the European Union launched the Ljubljana Process, which is aimed at improved, intensified development of the ERA . That aim is to be achieved via the development of a strategic partnership between Member States, associated states and the EU Commission, as well as through the development of a long-term vision for the ERA, with the following characteristics5:

4 Green Paper “The European Research Area: New Perspectives” of 4 April 2007, COM(2007) 161 final; Download: http://ec .europa .eu/research/era/consultation-era_en .html#greenpaper

5 Download: http://ec .europa .eu/research/era/specific-era-initiatives_en .html


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• Free movement of knowledge, the “fifth freedom”;6

• Modern universities and research organisations developing globally competitive poles and networks;

• All actors in research enjoying enjoying conditions favourable to investing in research, and having access to world-class research infrastructures;

• Europe’s citizens profit directly from research, since it contributes to the solution of major societal challenges .

This vision was further detailed at the Competitiveness Council meeting held on 2 December 2008, in the “Council Conclusions on the Definition of a ‘2020 Vision for the European Research Area’”7 , which outline the following main objectives:

1 . “The European Research Area (ERA) is firmly rooted in society and responsive to its needs and ambitions in pursuit of sustainable development .”

2 . “The ERA defines the European way to excellence in research and is a major driver of European competitiveness in the globalised world .” It does this with the following orientations:

• “Modernisation of research, education and innovation systems go hand in hand”;

• “The ERA . . . provides co-ordinated support to researchers and research institutions engaged in excellent research”;

• “At the same time, S&T capacity building is promoted across the EU”;

3 . “The ERA provides a seamless area of freedom and opportunities for dialogue, exchange and interaction open to the world” .

The objectives areas outlined in the Green Paper on the European Research Area were further detailed via five conclusions (five ERA initiatives) issued by the Competitiveness Council meetings in September and December 2008 and in May 2009:

1 . In the interest of strengthening the European employment market for researchers, the Member States systematically strive to provide open hiring procedures, improved frameworks for social-security entitlements and old-age pensions for internationally mobile researchers, attractive employment and working conditions and improvements in researchers’ training, skills and experience .8 To achieve these aims, Germany plans to begin by improving linking

6 The four basic freedoms of the European Union are: the free movement of goods (Art . 23 – 31 TEC), the free movement of persons (Art . 39 – 48 TEC), the free movement of services (Art . 49 – 55 TEC) and the free movement of capital (Art . 56 – 60 TEC) .

7 Download: www .consilium .europa .eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/intm/104434 .pdf

8 Cf . the Communication from the Commission “Better Careers and more Mobility: A European Partnership for Researchers” of 23 May 2008, COM (2008) 317; Conclusions of the Council “A European Partnership for Researchers: Better Careers and More Mobility” of 25/26 September 2008, 13671/08; Download: http://ec .europa .eu/research/era/specific-era-initiatives_en .html

between its national databases for the academic employment market and the European EURAXESS jobs database, and to expand the advising opportunities available to mobile researchers with regard to social-security and old-age-pension issues . The career opportunities available to young researchers are to be improved via structured programmes for young scientists and researchers . In addition, reforms of doctoral-phase education are to be moved forward . All of the relevant German proposals are combined within a first national report that was sent to the Commission in October 2009 . In 2010, joint measurable objectives are to be defined, at the European level, on the basis of all national reports on implementation of the so-called “European Partnership for Researchers” . This ERA Initiative is being managed by the Steering Group on Human Resources and Mobility, which in Germany is represented by the BMBF .

2 . One of the important aspects considered with regard to research infrastructures concerned the establishment of a Community legal framework for European research infrastructures .9 Council Regulation No 723/2009 on the Community legal framework for a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) of 25 June 2009 entered into force at the end of August 2009 . That legal framework is expected to facilitate Community establishment of research infrastructures, thereby facilitating faster implementation of the European research-infrastructure projects outlined in the ESFRI roadmap (cf . Chapter 3 .2 .3) . The relevant organisational structure, known as “ERIC”, is designed to provide VAT exemptions and facilitations in procedures for issuing calls for proposals . Projects will be implemented by consortia consisting of several Member State and/or partners associated with the Framework Programme .

3 . The “IP (Intellectual Property) Charter Initiative”, initiated by the German EU Council Presidency in 2007, is aimed at improving knowledge transfer within the European Research Area . The relevant resolution of the Council of the European Union of 30 May 2008 provides for the application of the EU Commission’s recommendations on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities and on a Code of Practice for universities and other public research organisations .10 At both the institutional and Member-State levels, implementation of the IP-Charter Initiative is expected to improve positioning

9 Cf . the Proposal for a Council Regulation on the Community legal framework for a European Research Infrastructure (ERI) of 25 July 008, COM (2008) 467; Download: http://ec .europa .eu/research/era/specific-era-initiatives_en .html

10 Commission Recommendation on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities and Code of Practice for universities and other public research organisations of 10 April 2008, C(2008)1329; Council Resolution of 30 May 2008 on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities and Code of Practice for universities and other public research organisations – „IP Charter Initiative“, Download: http://ec .europa .eu/research/era/specific-era-initiatives_en .html


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in international agreements and co-operation, via application of common, European principles, thereby helping to prevent any uncontrolled outflow of know-how . On the basis of these decisions, in January 2009, CREST11

established a working group on “knowledge transfer” . The members of CREST have requested Germany (BMBF) to assume the chair of that group for the first two years . For that period, the working group’s mandate includes two emphases: firstly, monitoring of implementation of the IP Charter Initiative; secondly, development of guidelines for international co-operation, guidelines that are also to be used in the context of other CREST formations – such as the Strategic Forum for International Scientific and Technological Cooperation (SFIC) and the Group on Joint Programming (GPC) . In the framework of monitoring, the working group will develop indicators for measuring progress in implementation of the IP Charter .

4 . “Joint Programming” is a new strategic concept of the EU and of the Member States, proposed by the Commission, for joint efforts to address major societal challenges, both European and global, such as climate change, food security and population ageing . The conclusions of the Council meeting of 2 December 200812 highlight the need for more intensive co-operation between the Member States, within that framework, since no Member State is able to tackle the challenges by itself . The Council has appointed a CREST sub-body (Groupe de haut niveau pour la Programmation Conjointe (GPC); Group on Joint Programming) to identify topics and develop a framework for joint programme planning . Such work includes consultation with relevant stakeholders from science and industry sectors . After topics have been accepted by the Council, in a second phase the participating Member States will introduce so-called “Joint Programming Initiatives” (JPI), i .e . they will agree on (inter alia) a joint relevant management structure, a joint research vision and a research agenda . Member States participate in GPC initiatives on a voluntary basis . The Member States control the entire process, and the EU Commission supports them in the effort .

5 . In December 2008, with a view to shaping the international dimension of the European Research Area (ERA), i .e . the dimension reaching beyond the bounds of Europe, the Council of the European Union established the Strategic Forum for International Scientific and Technological

11 The Scientific and Technical Research Committee (Comité de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique, CREST) advises the Competitiveness Council and the European Commission in matters of European R&D policy . Its members include the EU Commission (chair) and the EU Member States . The CREST members with observer status include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Albania, Croatia, FYROM, Montenegro, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey and Israel .

12 Download: www .consilium .europa .eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/intm/104458 .pdf

Cooperation (SFIC)13 . The aim of that effort is to intensify exchange of information and experience between the Member States and the Commission, with a view to identifying joint priorities for co-operation with non-European third countries and to developing coherent internationalisation approaches of the Member States and the Commission . The SFIC, which is a special CREST configuration, reports once yearly to the Council and the Commission . Germany has assumed the chair of the Strategic Forcum for the period 2009/10 . To date, the SFIC has commenced its concrete work by introducing two pilot initiatives . In these, the possibilities for a joint international approach are being reviewed via representative examples of a focus country (India) and a focus topic (energy) . In addition, the SFIC is being integrated within the preparation of international summits, such as the EU-Latin America summit that is to take place in the first half of 2010, under the Spanish EU Council Presidency . In the longer term, the SFIC is to become the central forum for all issues of international co-operation in science and research .

The Competitiveness Council has also defined concrete steps for improviing governance in the European Research Area:14

• Inclusion of all stakeholders;

• Definition of indicators and evaluation criteria, for purposes of monitoring;

• Development of a long-term partnership between the Member States and the Commission;

• Improvement of the coherency and effectiveness of ERA development .

In 2009, additional steps were taken for realisation of the ERA, and initial considerations relative to improvement of governance in the European Research Area were planned . For example, in the Competitiveness Council’s conclusions of 29 May 2009, ministers of research summed up progress achieved to date, on the basis of a report of the Czech EU Council Presidency . In the process, they called on the Member States and the Commission to continue working for the realisation of the ERA by moving forward the strategic partnership between the Member States and the EU Commission (Ljubljana Process) . In addition, they called on future Council presidencies to develop, in co-operation with CREST, a schedule for realisation of the Vision 2020 for the European Research Area and to update that vision regularly . Under the Swedish EU Council Presidency, the Competitiveness Council adopted a resolution on improvement of ERA governance .

13 Cf . Communication from the Commission “A Strategic European Framework for International Science and Technology Cooperation” of 24 September 2008, COM (2008) 588; Council conclusions concerning a European partnership for international scientific and technological cooperation of 1 ./2 .12 .2008, 16763/08, Download: http://ec .europa .eu/research/era/specific-era-initiatives_en .html

14 Council Conclusions of 30 May 2008 on the launch of the “Ljubljana Process” – towards full realisation of ERA”, Download: http://register .consilium .europa .eu/pdf/de/08/st09/st09076 .de08 .pdf


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In addition to working for further implementation of the five ERA initiatives, the Member States and the Commission are working to develop control mechanisms and indicators for monitoring of the European Research Area, and to intensify the links between the three areas of the “knowledge triangle” (research, education, innovation) . A closely related, pending task is to engage in discussion regarding a successor to the Lisbon strategy, which strategy is to be revised in 2010 . The ERA will play a central role in such discussion . At its meeting of 25/26 March 2010, the European Council reached agreement on the basic features of the “Europe 2020” strategy .

Further information: www.bmbf.de/de/956.php

3 .1 .2 eU Framework programme for research and technological development (Fp)

The Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7)15, with a total budget of about EUR 54 billion for the period 2007 through 2013, is the world’s largest programme in the area of research support . The FP7 features a high degree of continuity with respect to FP6, in terms of both the areas it supports and the support instruments it uses . Such continuity is in the interest of the persons and institutions submitting applications and participating in the programme, since it enables such persons and institutions to rely on proven research-funding structures . At the same time, the FP7 includes new funding areas, such as basic research, that are supported by the European Research Council (ERC; cf . Chapter 3 .1 .3) . As a result, the FP7 is the first Framework Programme to cover the entire value-creation chain, from basic research to innovation .

programme structure

The FP7 is divided into seven Specific Programmes:

specific programme on Co-operation: This programme funds trans-boundary research co-operation in collaborative research projects and networks of excellence . It has a total budget of EUR 32 .4 billion, covering a total of ten research areas:

• Health 6,100

• Food, agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology 1,935

• Information and communications technologies 9,050

15 Cf . Decision No 1982/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013); Download (including the legal foundations for the specific programmes): http://cordis .europa .eu/fp7/find-doc_en .html

• Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies 3,475

• Energy 2,350

• Environment (including climate change) 1,890

• Transport (including aeronautics) 4,160

• Socio-economic sciences and humanities 0,623

• Space 1,430

• Security 1,400

specific programme on Ideas: The European Research Council (ERC, cf . Chapter 3 .1 .3) is a new feature in European research funding . Implemented via the Specific Programme on Ideas, and with a budget of EUR 7 .51 billion, it primarily supports interdisciplinary, basic and pioneering research carried out by teams led by young scientists (Starting Grants) or by established researchers (Advanced Grants) .

specific programme on “people”: In this programme area, “Marie Curie Actions”, with a budget of EUR 4 .75 billion, are used to promote structured initial training, and further career development, of researchers; partnerships between industry and higher education institutions; and exchanges and co-operation with third countries . Support is provided largely in the form of awards to persons (fellowships, grants) .

specific programme on “Capacities”: This programme area is aimed at developing, and enhancing use of, research and innovation capacities throughout all Europe . A total funding budget of EUR 4 .097 billion is available, spread over different thematic emphases:

• Research infrastructures 1,715

• Research for the benefit of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) 1,336

• Knowledge-oriented regions 0,126

• Strengthening of research capacities in the EU’s convergence regions and outermost regions 0,340

• Knowledge in society 0,330

• Coherent development of research-policy concepts 0,070

• Measures via international co-operation . 0,180

specific programme “eUratoM”: The Specific Programme EURATOM comprises the thematic areas of fusion research, nuclear fission and radiation protection . The programme aims are to enhance the scientific and engineering base for nuclear fusion, to build the ITER major fusion experiment, to create the scientific and technological basis for safe disposal of long-lived radioactive waste, to improve safety standards, resources efficiency and competitiveness of nuclear energy and to provide a reliable system for protecting people and the environment from the impacts of ionising radiation .

specific programmes for the “Joint research Centre” (eC/eUratoM): In the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Community has its own large-scale research centre with seven institutes – of which three are in Italy and the others are located in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain . The JRC


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institutes, with a total staff of 2,700, provide demand-oriented scientific and technical support for the design, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies in areas such as energy, transport, health and consumer protection . Other work emphases lie in the development of measuring standards and data harmonisation .

Funding instruments

In the main, the FP7 funding instruments are consolidated versions of the proven FP6 instruments:

• Collaborative research projects support innovative research projects carried out by international consortia and aimed at developing new knowledge, technologies, products or processes . The activities carried out for their practical implementation tend to be integral parts of larger collaborative research projects that, typically, bring together academic and industry stakeholders .

• networks of excellence are used, in each case, to support joint work programmes of several research institutions that conduct joint research in the framework of long-term, formalised co-operation, create lasting networks and exchange and jointly disseminate knowledge .

• Co-ordination measures and supporting measures are aimed, as the names suggest, at co-ordinating or supporting research activities and strategies (networking, exchange, studies, conferences, integration of SMEs within collaborative research projects, etc .) .

• era-net and era-net plus support co-operation between national/regional research funding institutions and programme administrators . They are focussed especially on activities for co-ordinating, networking and opening national/regional funding programmes – ranging from systematic exchanges of information to execution of joint calls for proposals and to development of joint funding programmes . In the case of ERA-Net Plus, ERA-Net projects that establish a joint funding budget receive additional financial resources from the EU Commission for joint calls for proposals . They are implemented as co-ordination and support measures .

• “sICa measures”, which call for efficient integration of target countries within international co-operation, are a special feature . In general, they can be implemented with each of the aforementioned measures types . They focus on the priority research requirements of individual regions, and thus can be efficiently confined to co-operation with individual regions .

The following measures have been adopted on the basis of the Treaty of Nice (TEC) . They retain their validity upon the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon (TFEU):

• Measures pursuant to Article 169 TEC (Article 185 TFEU) enable the Community to participate in joint programmes involving several Member States . To date, FP7 includes

support for a total of four measures pursuant to Article 169:

• Ambient Assisted Living (AAL, www .aal169 .org)

• Support for SMEs (Eurostars, www .eureka .be)

• Baltic Sea Research (Bonus, www .bonusportal .org)

• Metrology (EMRP, www .euromet .org/projects/imera)

• Joint technology initiatives pursuant to article 171 teC (article 187 tFeU) are implemented as public-private partnerships (PPP) . In the PPP legal framework, industry and the public sector work together for the purpose of efficiently mobilising resources from the private sector (industry, foundations, risk capital, etc .) and public sector (Framework Programme, budgets of the Member States, European Investment Bank) . They are based on the work of European technology platforms that have developed strategic research agendas in research areas of special significance for Europe .

The first JTIs are being carried out in the following areas:

• Innovative Medicines (www .imi-europe .org) – in this effort, the BMBF is involved in the States Representatives Group (SRG) . It has initiated a specific support measure that takes account of the facts that the applicable financing regulations diverge from those of the Framework Programme and that industrial property rights apply .

• European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council (ENIAC) www .cordis .lu/ist/eniac) .

• Advanced Research and Technology for Embedded Intelligence Systems (ARTEMIS, www .cordis .lu/ist/artemis)

• European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform (HFP, www .hfpeurope .org)

• European Aeronautics (ACARE, www .acare4europe .org)

• Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES, www .gmes .info)

Further information: www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de

the Framework programme’s importance for Germany’s research sector

The Framework Programme is the world’s largest research funding programme . Its importance for the German research sector is constantly growing . For German researchers, the benefits of participation include – in addition to acquisition of research funding – internationalisation; network formation and exchanges of expertise (human resources/experts); protection of existing markets and development of new markets; enhanced access to key technologies, methods and know-how; and efficient access to research infrastructures . In the globalised research landscape, such benefits are basic parameters for successful strategic positioning within a continually more demanding competitive environment .


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Poland Portugal Czech Republic Romania Slovakia Cyprus Luxembourg Malta

Ireland Hungary Slovenia Bugaria Estonia Latvia Lithuania

Fig . 23 sharing of funding awards, co-ordinators and participation, with respect to the Member states

* Co-ordinators without Marie Curie programme area; Source: EU office to the BMBF

It

Germany

Great Britain

Francenetherlands

spain

Belgium

sweden

austria

Greece

denmark

Finland

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Co-ordinations*

participation

16 %

13 %

12 %

13 %

14 %

14 % 16 %

18 %

20 %

10 %6 %

6 %

4 %

4 %4 %4 %

4 %

4 %

3 %

3 %

3 %

3 %

2 %

2 %

2 %2 %

2 %

2 %

6 %

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7 %

8 %

7 %11 %

10 %

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In the FP616, German researchers participated in an average of about 80 % of all R&D projects in priority topics . With funding amounting to some EUR 3 billion, German institutions have obtained some 18 % of the total funding awarded to FP participants . With regard to the 25 Member States involved in FP6, Germany’s share actually amounts to 20 % . In comparison to the other Member States, Germany is thus the most successful FP participant to date . What is more, it has a balanced account balance with regard to its position as a net contributor . These trends have continued in the FP7 .

To date, Germany’s participation is particularly pronounced in the thematic priorities of aeronautical technologies, nanotechnology, materials research, new production processes, health, information and communications technologies (ICT) and the environment (including climate change) .

Of funding obtained by German institutions under the FP6, some 31 % went to higher education institutions, 37 % went to research centres (especially institutes of the Max Planck Society (MPG), Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG), Helmholtz Association (HGF) and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Science Association (WGL)) and 24 % went to business enterprises . In a European comparison, therefore, Germany has one of the higher rates of industrial participation . Companies in knowledge-intensive services tend to prefer the European Framework Programme over Federal or Länder programmes . Companies in cutting-edge technology areas also tend to focus on obtaining funding via the FP . In the report period, Germany’s industrial participation in the FP7 amounted to a full 33 % . With its European and international orientation, the FP is especially attractive for companies in future-oriented areas . Participation of companies that already themselves invest in research and development is especially pronounced . With respect to such companies, the FP primarily has a reinforcing function .

Project applications involving German co-ordinators have had above-average success rates in FP calls for proposals, and Germany’s strong national research system is one of the main reasons for such success in the FP .

The Specific Programme on “Co-operation” has proved to be especially attractive to researchers – as of the end of 2009, for example, a total of 2,415 applications had been submitted, representing 21,746 partners, in Theme 1 – Health . Of those, 4,539 were successful . That groups’ applications involved a ttotal number of 245 topics – and those topics covered the entire breadth of the theme for the overall area .

In Theme 2 – Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology – a total of 1,296 applications were submitted as of the end of 2009 . More than 13,000 persons participated in the various calls for proposals, which were open to competition from the international research community, and which covered a total of 223 topics . The high level of German

16 BMBF 2009: Studie zur deutschen Beteiligung am 6 . Forschungsrahmenprogramm der Europäischen Union (Study on German participation in the European Union‘s Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6)) . www .bmbf .de/publikationen

participation in the projects occurred even though some of the calls for proposals were highly oversubscribed – six times oversubscribed in Theme 1 and seven times oversubscribed in Theme 2 .

The programme’s budget, which increases over the term of the programme, is increasingly enabling programme sponsors to fund larger-volume projects – projects that, with regard to integration of research and innovation activities, training and management, are placing greater demands on participants . Initially, for example, in the theme of “Health” the highest Community contribution to any major project was EUR 12 million . Now, so-called “High Impact Initiatives”, with funding volumes of some EUR 30 million, are being planned .

Nonetheless, the Specific Programme on Co-operation and its theme areas also offer excellent participation opportunities for SMEs, with smaller measures that can offer SMEs a way to become involved in collaborative research .

ERA-Nets, focussed thematically or focussed on specific target groups, are used to shape national programmes, in the context of arrangements involving flexible configurations of Member States . More and more frequently, in addition to exchanges about, and co-ordination of, procedures and processes, transnational calls for proposals are being launched that complement national programmes and often have pioneering functions with regard to international programmes . In some cases, such efforts can mobilise significant levels of national funding .Selected ERA-Nets from the area of life sciences:

• NEURON

• E-Rare

• ERA-Age

• ERASysBio

• EUROTRANSBIO

• SAFEFOODERA

• Pathogenomics

• CID-Era

• Pain-ERA

• CoCanCPG

• ERA-SAGE

• ERA-Plant Genomics

advising relative to the european Framework programme

Another key to the successful, high participation in the Framework Programme is the advising provided, to applicants and participating groups, by the BMBF’s EU Bureau and by the Federal Government’s National Contact Points (NCP network) . The BMBF’s EU Bureau (EUB) co-ordinates and supports the NCP network in all non-theme-specific, overarching questions related to the Framework Programme and to the European Research Area (ERA), and it represents that network to the world at large .

The BMBF’s EU Bureau houses an initial point of contact for the Framework Programme and National Contact Points relative to overarching aspects of the FP . As a service for the


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NCP network, the BMBF’s EU Bureau also provides general information about the Framework Programme and about the European Research Area .

The NCPs inform and advise multipliers, applicants and project participants regarding FP research topics, instruments and funding procedures . The NCPs also serve as liaisons between applicants, the EU Commission and the various responsible departments .

The National Contact Points’ support for German delegations, in connection with meetings of the programme committees, contributes significantly to the manner in which calls for proposals are framed – in terms of both content and structure – especially those for the Specific Programme on Co-operation . By helping to strategically position topics that are of relevance for German organisations and institutions, such efforts also contribute to the German research sector’s success .

The contact point “Women in EU research” (“Frauen in die EU-Forschung” – FIF) in the BMBF’s EU Bureau advises women scientists with regard to applications .

Other persons and agencies that provide relevant advising, with regard to participation in the Framework Programme, include EU representatives at higher education institutions and research organisations, the European Liaison Office of German Research Organisations (KoWi), the science organisations themselves, chambers of industry and commerce and technology-transfer offices .

Further information: www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de/beratung.htm

3 .1 .3 european research Council (erC)

The European Research Council (ERC) is a new feature in the European Framework Programmes . It is implemented by the Specific Programme Ideas of the FP7 . This funding area’s budget for basic research, for the entire period of the FP7, is EUR 7 .5 billion .

The ERC funds “pioneering research”, i .e . research that is both trailblazing and visionary, and that seeks to blur the boundaries between basic research and applied research, between different fields as they are normally delimited and between research and technology . Funding is provided along two lines . In one, young investigators are supported in building or establishing their own research teams (Starting Grants); in the other, advanced investigators are supported (Advanced Grants) .

In addition, the European Research Council provides support in the context of the following guidelines:

• Funding decisions enjoy scientific autonomy, on the strength of the ERC’s independence, which is guaranteed by the European Commission;

• Projects are not restricted as to theme or topic;

• Support is provided for pioneering research that is risky and, for the most part, interdisciplinary;

• Excellence is the sole selection criterion in funding awards, which are made through pan-European competition;

• Applications from individuals are welcome; no mandatory formation of consortia or partnerships applies

• Procedures are non-bureaucratic and transparent

Germany was highly successful in the first ERC calls for proposals . In terms of the sum total grants won, i .e . from both funding lines, researchers with German nationality placed first . In a comparison of successful host institutions, Germany ranks third, behind the UK and France, in the areas of young investigators and advanced investigators .

In the second call for proposals for Starting Grants, which was evaluated in September 2009, a total of 2,503 applications were submitted . Pursuant to the relevant preliminary results, German institutions, with 28 grants (12 %), rank 3rd, as they did in 2008, behind the UK (43 grants/18 %) and France (31 grants/13 %), and considerably ahead of Spain (18 grants/8 %) and Switzerland (17 grants/7 %) . In terms of its share of all grants, Germany improved its position slightly, in comparison to its position in the first Starting-Grant call for proposals . In this call for proposals, Germany’s success rate (11 %) is above the average rate of 9 .7 % .

In the current second evaluation of Starting Grants, in terms of applicants’ nationality Germany is in a tie for first, with Italy . Each of those countries has 32 grants (13 .5 %), thereby ranking ahead of France, which has 27 grants (11 %) . On the other hand, foreign grantees account for a relatively small percentage of all grantees in Germany, in comparison to the relevant figures for the UK and Switzerland . Of the ERC projects to be carried out in future in Germany, about one-third are being directed by foreign nationals, and only two of the grantees are planning to come to Germany especially for the ERC grant .

In general, experience gained with the three calls for proposals has produced the following picture: Germany ranks first in terms of the nationalities of successful applicants, and it ranks behind the UK and France in terms of the numbers of successful institutions . And German applicants have had comparably good success in all three of the areas covered by the ERC, “engineering and physics”, “life sciences” and “social sciences and humanities” .

After running for only two years, the ERC is already being seen by the European science community as a trailblazing, indispensable effort . This was the result reached in an interim evaluation of the ERC that was carried out from February to July 200917 . That study found that the focus on “excellence” as the sole criterion for funding decisions had been successful, and had been sending a strong message to Europe and to countries outside of Europe .

In this context, since mid-2009 the BMBF has been engaged in an intensive process of consultation with important personalities of the ERC, with stakeholders in the German and European science sectors and with other Member States . In this

17 Download: http://erc .europa .eu/pdf/final_report_230709 .pdf


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framework, and in co-operation with the Research Alliance (German Research Foundation (DFG), Max Planck Society (MPG), Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Science Association (WGL), German Rectors’ Conference (HRK)), the BMBF has been involved especially on the following two levels:

1 . The continual further development of the ERC and2 . Further improvement of German participation in the ERC

Germany has especially been stressing the importance of safeguarding the ERC’s scientific self-administration and autonomy, assuring the transparency and integrity of its assessment processes and professionalising and simplifying its administrative and financial framework and procedures . At the end of 2009, the BMBF published a position paper on the interim evaluation . The key concern expressed in that paper involved the need to identify an overarching governance structure for the ERC that, even more effectively than before, would fulfill the stringent criteria applying to a purely scientific institution . In keeping with that insight, a report is to be prepared, by spring 2010, that will identify possible ways of changing the ERC’s governance structure, at the European level, that accord with the ERC’s objectives .

The BMBF has been intensively pursuing the aim of enhancing Germany’s attractiveness as a research location for excellent researchers from Germany and from other countries . To that end, the BMBF plans to prepare a roadmap, in co-operation with the Research Alliance (DFG, MPG, HGF, FhG, WGL, HRK), for improving Germany’s participation in the ERC .

One of the key components of the strategy to be developed will be to improve the incentives offered to applicants by the Federal Government and by the various relevant organisations and higher education institutions . In addition, internationalisation of joint efforts in the areas of recruiting and of publicising Germany’s research sector, and measures to further enhance the attractiveness of ERC grants, are to be continued .

Further information:www.nks-erc.de; http://erc.europa.eu/index.cfm

3 .1 .4 european Institute of Innovation and technology (eIt)

The objective of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is to contribute to lasting enhancement of competitiveness in Europe . This is to be accomplished by exploiting synergies between the areas of education, research and innovation (knowledge triangle), via systematic building and promotion of regionally based and internationally linked clusters, and with a view to strengthening innovation in the Member States and in the Community .

In this context, „innovation“ is understood as the process whereby new ideas are produced and then used to develop products or services that are successfully introduced into existing markets or used to create new markets . Relevant funding measures themselves are focussed on local networks (clusters) that are termed „co-location centres“ . „Co-location“ refers to the production of real points of accumulation, for direct co-operation between the players in the knowledge triangle . Such local clusters are then linked internationally, to form European „Knowledge and Innovation Communities“ (KICs) consisting of higher education institutions, research institution and industry .

Among experts, the EIT is seen as a groundbreaking new approach for an integratively structured funding programme that covers the entire innovation chain . The principles for selection of Knowledge and Innovation Communities have also contributed to this positive result . Those principles were prepared in the framework of the German EU Council presidency, and they entered into the EIT Regulation . The following central criteria are taken into account in selection of a KIC:

• The KIC‘s current and potential innovation resources, and any outstanding performance in the areas of innovation, higher education and research;

• The KIC‘s ability to provide viable, long-term, autonomous financing, including a significant, growing contribution from the private sector, industry and the services sector;

• Participation of organisations active in the knowledge triangle consisting of research, higher education and innovation;

• Proof of a plan for management of intellectual property;

• Measures to support inclusion of, and co-operation by, the private sector, especially SMEs and the financial sector;

• Measures to support start-ups, and to support spin-offs from research institutes;

• The KIC‘s readiness to maintain contact with other organisations and clusters outside of the knowledge and innovation community, with the aim of sharing proven practices and excellent performance (ability to serve as a model for Europe);

• Following acceptance of the Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA), the KIC‘s ability to achieve the SIA‘s objectives .

The EIT is being established gradually, in two main phases that reflect its orientation to long-term development . In the first phase, only a limited number of KICs is being established, with a view to properly assessing the work of the EIT and of KICs, as well as to making any improvements that need to be made . The total budget for execution of all measures in the EIT‘s first phase, for the period from 2008 to 2013, amounts to EUR 308 .7 million . Thematically, the call for proposals for the first KICs is oriented to the areas of climate change, adaptation to climate change and mitigation of climate change, sustainable energy and the next-generation information and communications society . In December 2009, the EIT governing board selected


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three KICs, for support as of 2010 . In a second phase, the EIT‘s strategic, long-term priority areas, and its financing requirements, will be defined for a period of seven years, in the Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) . In light of the SIA‘s importance for the EU‘s innovation policy, and of the related political importance of its socio-economic impacts, the SIA has to be approved by the European Parliament and by the Council of the European Union, on the basis of a proposal of the European Commission that is to be prepared by the EIT governing board . Such approval will clear the way for the 2nd phase in the establishment of the EIT . The EIT governing board plans to present the SIA by mid-2011 . Once the first SIA has been approved by the Council and the Parliament, it will be possible to select further KICs .

Since September 2008, the EIT government board, which has its headquarters in Budapest, has been directed by an 18-member, independent body of high-ranking personalities from the areas of science, education and industry . Currently (2009), the EIT government board includes two Germans: Prof . Wolfgang Herrmann, President of TU München (technical university of Munich), and Peter Tropschuh, head of the Volkswagen AutoUni in Wolfsburg . The EIT government board is currently chaired by Prof . Martin Schuurmans, from the Netherlands .

Further information: www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de/eit.htm; http://eit.europa.eu/home.html

3 .1 .5 structural Funds

The European Structural Funds – especially the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund – are centrally important instruments for reducing regional-development discrepancies in Europe . The important objectives of the Structural Funds include funding research, technological development, innovation and knowledge-based industries, and improving infrastructures . New Member States in particular use the Structural Funds as a tool for strengthening their research bases and integrating themselves further within European structures .

In the current funding period, from 2007 to 2013, the EFRE, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund have available funding totalling EUR 347 .4 billion . Of that amount, EUR 86 billion are earmarked for support of research and innovation . From these Structural Funds, Germany receives a total of EUR 26 .3 billion, including EUR 7 .55 billion for support of research, technological development, innovation and entrepreneurship . In addition, the country receives EUR 2 .9 billion from the ESF for development of human resources .

Unlike the Framework Programme, the Structural Funds are non-centrally administrated . The Member States are responsible for execution of the programmes funded under the

Structural Funds . For each programme, they choose an administrative authority (at the national, regional or other level), a so-called fund administrator . Matters related to information, calls for proposals and project selection are usually handled by subordinate agencies . Each region defines its priorities in „operational programmes” that are co-ordinated with the European Commission . For this purpose, Europe’s regions have been divided into different target regions and classified in terms of their level of development . The relevant development aims for the current funding period, from 2007 to 2013, are 1) convergence, 2) regional competitiveness and employment and 3) European territorial co-operation . Each region has its own operational programme in keeping with these criteria . The support provided for the three development aims, by the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund, is always provided as co-financing . The upper limits for co-financing vary by target region . For the aim of “convergence”, the upper limit for the ERDF and ESF is 75 % of relevant public expenditures, while for the Cohesion Fund it is 85 % .

Typical R&D activities that can be funded under the ERDF or ESF include (to the extent relevant measures are included in the operational programmes):

• Promoting and strengthening research infrastructures and their integration within the European Research Area;

• Research equipment, materials and instruments;

• Research projects, especially projects involving SMEs and carried out via co-operation between universities and SMEs;

• Public-private partnerships for R&D and clusters;

• Funding of research spin-offs;

• Development of regional innovation strategies; analyses of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT); feasibility studies;

• Lifelong learning, development of competencies, continuing education/training;

• Postdoctoral programmes;

• Dissemination of ICT technologies, eLearning and environmentally friendly technologies, networks involving higher education institutions, business enterprises and research institutes .

These measures provide a range of points of contact with FP7 . In particular, “Regions of Knowledge”, a new programme, is explicitly designed to assist regions in building their R&D capacities .

In the interest of enhancing both of these funding instruments’ efficiency, efforts are being made to have the Research Framework Programme and the Structural Funds used in more effective, complementary ways . At the initiative of the 2007 German EU Council presidency, a CREST working group (cf . Chapter 3 .1 .1) developed guidelines for ways of using the Structural Funds and the Framework Programme in combination, strategically, for purposes of strengthening regional competitiveness . In addition, the conclusions adopted


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by the Competitiveness Council (which were also prepared by CREST) call on the Commission to enhance its own co-ordination, within its own agencies, and to intensify efforts to link funding areas efficiently and to provide relevant practical information for users . In early 2008, as a complementary measure to the guidelines’ 14 recommendations, which are oriented to users and to the agencies responsible for implementation, the Commission, in keeping with the Competitiveness Council’s call, presented practical information relative to the financing opportunities for research organisations and companies .18

The BMBF is working, on an ongoing, comprehensive basis, to disseminate information on complementary use of the Framework Programme and the Structural Funds, and it has initiated the development of relevant Internet sites19 . Good-practice models on use of synergies between the Framework Programme and the Structural Fund, and developed at the state (Land) level, in co-operation with the state of Brandenburg, were presented at a December 2008 conference on “EU Funding for Research and Innovation” . One of the key aspects highlighted by the presentation was that the Lisbon Goals, and science in the context of economic development, will have to play a central role in the coming funding period of EU structural policy . With this emphasis, the conference achieved initial progress toward Germany’s successful positioning within consultations relative to the next funding period .

3 .2 European intergovernmental initiatives

3 .2 .1 eUreKa – the european research initiative

EUREKA SecretariatRue Neerveld 1071200 Brussels, BelgiumTel.: 0032 2 77-70950www.eurekanetwork.org

EUREKA/COST office of the BMBF, within the DLRHeinrich-Konen-Str. 153227 BonnTel.: 0228 3821-352www.eureka.dlr.de

18 Competitive European Regions Through Research and Innovation . Practical Guide to EU Funding Opportunities for Research and Innovation; Download: ftp://ftp .cordis .europa .eu/pub/fp7/docs/practical-guide-rev2_en .pdf; further information: http://cordis .europa .eu/eu-funding-guide/home_en .html

19 www .forschungsrahmenprogramm .de/strukturfonds .htm; www .forschungsrahmenprogramm .de/wegweiser .htm

history and membership

The European EUREKA research initiative was established in 1985 in Hanover . Currently, its full members include 38 countries and the EU Commission: Along with all Member States of the European Union (except for Bulgaria), this group includes the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Israel, Croatia, Monaco, Norway, Russia, San Marino, Switzerland, Serbia, Ukraine and Turkey . At the 2009 EUREKA Ministerial Conference in Lisbon, further global opening of EUREKA was approved: Under new regulations, South Korea was accepted in EUREKA as the first associated country . In general, participants from non-member countries can also take part in individual EUREKA projects .

tasks and objectives

EUREKA provides a flexible, open framework for application-oriented R&D co-operation in the civil sector . The Member States are using it as a vehicle for encouraging their business enterprises, research institutions and universities to participate in trans-boundary co-operation in innovative projects .

EUREKA is helping to improve use of Europe’s human resources, know-how, institutions and financial resources; to promote European competitiveness in global markets; to solve trans-boundary problems, especially in the environmental sector; to develop European infrastructures and standards; and to build and strengthen the European Single Market .

EUREKA thus also represents an additional instrument alongside the European Union’s framework research programmes . Furthermore, EUREKA acts as a bridge to the countries of central and eastern Europe . The central and eastern European countries that acceded to the EU in May 2004 were EUREKA members before they were EU members . In EUREKA, they were able to gather experience and develop infrastructures for their further co-operation within the European framework .

the basic principles of project co-operation include:

• The project aim is the development of an innovative product, process or service, for a civil purpose .

• At least two project partners, from two different EUREKA member states, must be involved .

• The project partners decide on the thematic focus for the project, the project’s duration, the composition of the consortium and the relevant budgeting (bottom-up principle) .

• The financing has to be assured, and each partner is responsible for the financing of his own project share .

EUREKA project applications can be submitted at any time . When all of the above criteria are fulfilled, the project can receive the EUREKA label . The EUREKA label, which functions as a final seal of approval – all conditions for project co-operation have been fulfilled – opens market access and offers potential for


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new partnerships that would not have been possible without the label . The so-called “High-Level Group Representatives”, which approve new projects, meet four times per year .

EUREKA projects do not automatically receive government support . Where project participants require support, they must apply for it in their own countries . In Germany, participants have recourse to all relevant programmes (Federal, Länder, foundations, etc .), but no funding has been especially reserved for EUREKA projects . EUREKA offers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) an attractive framework for realising trans-boundary innovation .

Eurostars: At the end of 2007, EUREKA, in co-operation with the EU Commission, initiated the Eurostars support programme with the aims of enabling SMEs to participate at the European level and, thus, of strengthening SMEs’ competitiveness in Europe and worldwide . Eurostars is aimed at SMEs that engage in research and that carry out research and development in co-operation with partners in other Member States . In the process, Eurostars functions in accordance with the same principle that applies to the overarching initiative, EUREKA itself . There are no thematic requirements or restrictions; participating SMEs may choose their research topics precisely in accordance with their own requirements, via a “bottom-up” approach . Another advantage for applicants is that for purposes of Eurostars the various national funding procedures used within the EU have been harmonised . This means, for example, that projects are assessed jointly and internationally, and funding applications submitted in different participating countries can be approved virtually simultaneously . In each case, project participants receive support from national funding resources, however . Eurostars is a measure pursuant to Article 169 TEC (Article 185 TFEU) – a joint programme of 31 European Member States, along with other countries and the European Commission . For the six-year term period from 2008 to 2013, the participating countries plan to provide funding of EUR 300 million, while the European Commission will provide an additional EUR 100 million . Germany is contributing EUR 30 million to Eurostars, from resources assigned to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) .

organisation

One of EUREKA’s special characteristics is its decentralised structure . Contact points in all Member States together form a flexible administrative network with little bureaucratic overhead . The chairmanship moves each year from one Member State to another .

The EUREKA Ministerial Conference, the organisation’s supreme political body, defines the relevant aims and structures . As a rule, it convenes every two years . The Interparliamentary Conference of representatives of national parliaments also meets every two years, alternating with the Ministerial Conference .

The High Level Group (HLG) prepares decisions of the Ministerial Conference and monitors implementation of that body’s resolutions . It takes all important decisions between

meetings of the Ministerial Conference . It approves new projects at the proposal of the National Project Coordinators .

The National Project Coordinators (NPC) serve as points of contact for EUREKA applicants, project participants and other interested parties . They are responsible for administrative processing of applications, and they provide information about EUREKA within their own countries . The national Contact Point in Germany is the EUREKA/COST bureau within the German Aerospace Center (DLR) .

The EUREKA Secretariat in Brussels is a joint services centre; it supports relevant work in the Member States .

Current developments

In 2009/2010, Germany again holds the EUREKA Presidency . This is the third time Germany has held this position; the previous two German presidencies were in 1985 (in which the Ministerial Conference took place in Hanover) and in 1999/2000 . At the beginning of July 2009 in Dresden, Minister of Education and Research Schavan opened the year of the German presidency with a European conference on “World-Class Innovation Through International Cooperation” . At the conference, the aims and topic emphases for the German EUREKA chair were discussed with leading representatives of the policy-making, administrative, industry and science sectors . From that discussion, the following areas of action were developed for the year of the German presidency20:

Opening of EUREKA for worldwide co-operation;

• Management of intellectual property, norms and standards within the context of international research co-operation;

• Strategic initiatives in key sectors: European clusters and competence networks;

• Capacity-building for internationalisation of SMEs;

• Financing of research, development and innovation;

• Intensified co-operation between EUREKA and the EU .

The events relative to the German presidency will end with the June 2010 ministerial conference in Berlin, at which the future perspectives for EUREKA will be defined . In July 2010, Israel will assume the EUREKA presidency; Hungary will follow in that role in July 2011 .

Statistics

During the 2008/2009 Portuguese presidency, the number of newly approved standard EUREKA projects rose considerably over the previous year . A total of 192 new projects, representing a total volume of € 324 million, received the EUREKA label . German companies and research institutions were involved in a total of 28 of these projects, with a funding volume of € 20 million .

20 Taken from the programme of work for the German presidency, c .f . also www .eureka .dlr .de/_media/EUREKA_Arbeitsprogramm .pdf


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In the strategic EUREKA initiatives, the “clusters”, and in the areas of information and communications technologies (E!2365 MEDEA+, E!3187 CELTIC, E!3673 ITEA 2, E!4140 CATRENE) and energy research (E!4468 EUROGIA+), an additional 45 new sub-projects, with a total funding volume of € 999 million, have been launched . German partners are participating in 18 of these projects; their funding volume amounts to € 157 million (of which € 25 million is BMBF funding) .

Eurostars, a joint funding programme of EUREKA and the European Commission that was launched at the end of 2007, has revitalised EUREKA . In 2008, the first two rounds of application took place (in February and November); in September 2009, a third was held . In the first call for proposals, a total of 215 project applications were submitted . Of those, 65 included German participation . Also in the first round of proposals, a total of 92 project applications were approved for funding . Of those, 19 included German participation . Those 19 projects account for a total of project volume of fully EUR 37 million . In the second call for proposals, 317 applications were submitted; of those, 90 included German participation . Those figures amount to an increase of 50 % . A total of 86 of the submitted project applications were approved for funding; of those, 21 include German participation . A total of 279 applications were submitted in response to the third call for proposals, and German partners are involved in a total of 100 projects . The number of projects approved for funding will be announced in February 2010 .

As of October 2009, a total of 1,028 projects, with a total funding volume of about € 3 .8 billion, were underway in EUREKA . Of these, 232 projects included German participation, and the German share of funding in these projects amounted to € 510 million . The project focuses include information and communications technology, industrial process technology, biotechnology and medical technology .

3 .2 .2 Cost – european Co-operation in the field of scientific and technical research

ESF-COST OfficeAvenue Louise 149, P.O. Box 121050 Brussels, BelgiumTel.: 0032 2 533-3800www.cost.esf.org

EUREKA/COST office of the BMBF, within the DLRHeinrich-Konen-Str. 1, 53227 BonnTel.: 0228 3821-357/-359www.cost.dlr.de


Since 1971, COST (Coopération Européenne dans le domaine de la recherche scientifique et technique) has provided a framework within which European research institutions, universities and business enterprises can carry out joint projects . COST currently has 36 members: the 27 EU Member States, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Croatia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Israel, as a co-operating country .


COST provides a flexible mechanism via which scientists from throughout Europe (and beyond) can collaborate in productive, interdisciplinary networks . It thus represents a key element of the European Research Area . COST’s emphases include pre-competitive-phase research, preparation of relevant standards, solution of environmental and other trans-boundary problems and topics of public interest .

Co-operation under COST, which – as a matter of principle – is open to any subject field, is currently focusing mainly on nine thematic areas:

1 . Biomedicine, molecular biosciences;2 . Food/food technology, agriculture;3 . Forestry science, forest products, socio-economic aspects;4 . Materials/new materials, physics, nanosciences;5 . Chemistry, molecular sciences and technology;6 . System Earth, environmental management;7 . Information and telecommunications science;8 . Traffic/transport, urban development;9 . Social sciences and humanities, culture, health .

The COST approach (a-la-carte participation, bottom-up) also enables researchers from countries not yet associated with the European Union to be integrated, flexibly and as equal partners, in European research networks . In many cases, COST opens the door to further integration within the EU’s Framework Programmes . The effort is aimed at continual further integration of national research capacities, in the interest of making the science community within the European Single Market more and more effective .

The following principles apply to co-operation:

• All Member States and the European Community may propose research projects for inclusion as COST actions (bottom-up approach) .

• Co-operation takes the form of concerted actions, i .e . via co-ordination of national research projects .

• Participation in COST actions is based on the a-la-carte principle, i .e . each Member State is entitled, but not obligated, to participate in any given action .

• All projects are financed at the level of the Member States . Participants who seek government funding do so on a


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national basis . The EU provides financial support for co-ordination and networking in COST actions .

• COST supplements work done under the EU FP, and it has prepared the ground for many of the subjects covered in that programme . Efforts are being made to intensify links between COST activities and specific programmes and other research initiatives . In contrast to the EUREKA initiative, which is mainly oriented to applied research, COST covers the area of pre-competitive basic research .

organisation

• The Ministerial Conference, the supreme decision-making body, meets at irregular intervals (the last conference took place in May 2003 in Dubrovnik) .

• The Committee of Scientific Officials (CSO), the highest decision-making body between the ministerial conferences, meets three times per year .

• The COST Secretariat at the Council of the EU supports the Committee of Scientific Officials .

• The COST Secretariat at the European Science Foundation (ESF) supports action participants and Domain Committees .

• Domain Committees, responsible for broader thematic areas, assess new proposals, monitor running projects and are responsible for the final evaluation of actions .

• Management committees co-ordinate within the individual actions .

• COST National Coordinators (CNC) appoint members to the management committees and advise applicants .


At its 174th meeting, held in May 2009, it was decided, by resolution of the CSO, that the existing reciprocal agreements with New Zealand and Australia (agreements of the sort designed to strengthen participation of institutions from non-COST countries in COST Actions) are to be renewed, by mutual consent, for an additional five years (i .e . until the end of FP7) . A similar agreement is to be concluded with South Africa .

In keeping with recommendations of the Monfret Report (May 2007)21 and Kneucker Report (September 2008)22 COST is currently discussing possible improvements in the COST management structure . A COST ministerial conference is planned for January 2010 in Spain .

COST is currently being administered by the European Science Foundation (ESF) . In mid-2007, the ESF and the European Commission signed a pertinent agreement . COST funding has been increased from its FP6 level to € 210 million, and it could be increased by an additional € 40 million if the mid-year balance sheet in 2010 shows a positive result .

21 European Commission (2007): Final Review of COST in the Sixth Framework Programme . PANEL REPORT 31 May 2007 (Chair: Ms Jeanne Monfret)

22 Raoul Kneucker (2008): European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technological Research – COST . Re-Examination of the Legal Status and the Governance of COST

statistics

COST has grown steadily since the early 1980s . Since 1990, interest in the programme has risen sharply, and this is reflected in continual growth in the number of Actions . In 2006, an “Open Call for Proposals” was introduced . Under this procedure, projects are submitted by two set collection dates . On average, some 450 proposals are submitted per collection date . In all likelihood, the applications collected on the two 2009 collection dates will lead to funding for some 60 new Actions . As of November 2009, the total number of Actions in progress was 220, including 215 with German participation .

3 .2 .3 european strategy Forum on research Infrastructures (esFrI)

Prof. Carlo Rizzuto (Chair until 09/2010)ESFRI Secretariat at the European Commission:SDME 01/1311049 Brussels, BelgiumTel.: 0032 2 [email protected]/esfri


ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) was established in 2002, at the initiative of European ministers of research . In the ESFRI framework, high-ranking representatives of European research administrations jointly prepare – working on an informal basis – political decisions relative to research infrastructures in Europe . At the same time, ESFRI functions as an incubator for concrete projects, such as projects proposed by Germany in the areas of X-ray free-electron lasers, the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), mouse genomics (INFRAFRONTIER), life sciences and social sciences (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)) .

Members

The plenary assembly of ESFRI, the ESFRI Forum, comprises representatives appointed by the ministers of research of the EU Member States and Associated Countries (maximum of 2 representatives per country)23, as well as a representative of the EU Commission . Because the areas covered by ESFRI are highly relevant, the organisation’s membership has grown continually since ESFRI was established . Currently, the Forum

23 The Associated Countries in the FP7: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatien, FYR Macedonia, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey . Additional countries could be added in the course of the FP7 .


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contains representatives from a total of 37 countries . Each country has one vote .


The objective of ESFRI is to conduct informal exchanges regarding national strategies and projects, with a view to developing joint perspectives for the establishment or expansion of research infrastructures of pan-European importance .

In 2004, ESFRI was commissioned to prepare a European roadmap for research infrastructures . As many different thematic areas were to be covered as possible . The aim of that effort was to identify all projects with European-level relevance that should be carried out in the next 10 to 20 years and that fulfil a range of defined criteria (e .g . are scientifically meaningful and necessary, have pan-European relevance, are technologically feasible and are also accessible for external users) . The first roadmap, which was published by ESFRI in fall 2006, contained a total of 35 projects, covering a range of different scientific disciplines . The countries represented in ESFRI can use this roadmap, applying a “variable geometry” approach, as a basis for concrete decisions on specific individual projects .

ESFRI has established working groups for certain areas of science (environmental research, humanities and social sciences, life sciences, physics and engineering sciences, energy and the cross-cutting area of e-Infrastructures) . These groups are charged with assessing Member States’ submitted proposals, for possible inclusion in the roadmap, as well as with defining research infrastructures’ roles and placement within the overall research sector . The thematic working groups assess submitted proposals in keeping with criteria defined by ESFRI and present their recommendations to the ESFRI Forum as bases for resolutions . Each working group is chaired by one Forum member . Since 2006, the largest thematic working group in the area of life sciences, with members from 29 countries, has been chaired by a German .

Along with these thematic working groups, temporary working groups have been established with regard to specific issues, such as certain regional aspects, decisions on selection of locations and on socio-economic aspects .

In co-operation between ESFRI and the EU Commission, a new European legal framework (ERIC) has been developed . That framework, which was introduced in June 2009, is designed to significantly ease the legal conditions pertaining to the construction and operation of pan-European research infrastructures and, thus, to the creation of a European Research Area (ERA) .

The EU Commission is supporting a preparatory phase for the projects included in the ESFRI roadmap . That phase is aimed at defining the pertinent legal framework, ensuring financing and establishing consortia for necessary construction and operation . The roadmap was updated in

2008, and ten new projects were added24 . Currently, ESFRI is working on its Report 2010, which is include an updated roadmap and strategic planning for the various individual science areas .

organisation

ESFRI meets about four to five times per year, under the direction of the relevant chair . ESFRI is supported by a secretariat, housed within the EU Commission, that has responsibility especially for preparing Forum meetings .


ESFRI’s current work is focussed on supporting realisation of the European research infrastructures listed on the 2008 roadmap . In addition to functioning as an incubator in that area, at the end of 2010 ESFRI will publish a report covering strategic perspectives for the infrastructure map of the European Research Area (ERA) .

In September 2010, the chair of the ESFRI Forum will pass from Carlo Rizzuto (Italy) to Dr . Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph (Germany) .

3 .3 European intergovernmental organisations

3 .3 .1 european space agency (esa)

In the BuFI 2008 ESA was presented in this space . In the present report, the description of that organisation is presented in Part II B, Research emphases, “Aeronautical technologies and space” . The reason for the change lies in the Federal Government’s new R&D planning system (Leistungsplansystematik) .

3 .3 .2 european organisation for the exploitation of Meteorological satellites (eUMetsat)

Eumetsat-Allee 164295 Darmstadtwww.eumetsat.int

24 One project in the area of the humanities and social science was removed form the 2006 roadmap .


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Members

26 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK

5 states with co-operative status: Estonia, Iceland, Lithuania, Serbia, Bulgaria

legal status

International organisation (founded in 1986) .

tasks

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), located in Darmstadt, was founded in 1986 . Its purpose is to provide weather-/climate- oriented satellite information (images, data and products), and the relevant required satellites, on a continuous-operation basis . Its continuous measurements are indispensable to the everyday operation of national meteorological services worldwide . The measurements are provided directly to the Member States and to other interested users worldwide . In the framework of these basic tasks, EUMETSAT carries out an active programme of research, oriented to the advancement of the aforementioned tasks, as well as to the aims of facilitating and optimising use of the data it collects .


Funding for the organisation’s work is provided mostly by the Member States (third countries can make voluntary contributions), in keeping with percentage rates determined, in each case, using a GNP-based key . Germany currently provides about 19 .5 % of the budget .

Of all members, Germany (a full-member state) is the largest contributor . On behalf of the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (BMVBS), in co-operation with Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD; German meteorological service), represents the interests of Germany to EUMETSAT and heads the German delegation in the EUMETSAT Council and in subordinate EUMETSAT bodies .


Geostationary satellite systems:

• METEOSAT Transition Programme

• METEOSAT Second Generation (MSG – total of 4 satellites):

• METEOSAT Third Generation (MTG)

Polar-orbiting satellite systems:

• EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS), system of polar-orbiting weather satellites

• Post-EPS: The successor programme to the EPS system is

currently in preparation . Germany is providing special national funding for the innovative METimage imaging radiometer, which is to be part of the Post-EPS system .

• Altimeter mission: Germany has contributed to the funding of the Jason-2 Ocean Surface Topography Mission programme . Since 1 February 2010, it is also providing funding for the Jason-3 Ocean Altimetry Satellite programme .

Programme for analysis of satellite data:

• EUMETSAT operates “Satellite Application Facilities” (SAF) . These are supported by the Federal Government . The European “SAF on Climate Monitoring“ (CM-SAF) is a joint activity of a number of national meteorological services, including Germany’s DWD, and Germany has the role of lead entity in the effort .

3 .3 .3 european organisation for nuclear research – european laboratory for particle physics (Cern)

1211 Genf 23, SwitzerlandTel.: 0041 22 [email protected]

Members

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

legal status

International organisation (basis: international convention of 1 July 1953) .

tasks

Basic research in the field of elementary particles (high energy physics), focusing on:

• Study of the elementary building blocks of matter, and of the forces that hold them together, using particle accelerators;

• Physics of atomic nuclei;

• Operation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a ring-shaped particle accelerator 27 km long, along with the LHC’s four experimental facilities, and the required GRID technology . The GRID system, which links over 140 data centres, in 33 countries, will store the enormous amounts of data generated by the system (several gigabytes per


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second) and make it possible for the data to be processed in laboratories around the world .

Some 2,500 people from Europe, and over 8,000 guest scientists, representing 580 research institutions in 85 countries, work together in what is the world’s largest research facility for high-energy physics . In addition to its outstanding successes in physics, successes for which CERN scientists won the Nobel Prize in 1984 and 1992, CERN has produced many technological innovations . One famous example is especially worthy of mention: CERN is where the World Wide Web was born .


Funding for the organisation’s work is provided mostly by the Member States (third countries can make voluntary contributions), in keeping with percentage rates determined, in each case, using a GNP-based key . Germany currently provides about 20 % of the budget .


Following extensive repairs conducted in 2009, the LHC and its experiments have now been successfully commissioned . The LHC is to be used to continue the search for the “Higgs boson”; this effort is expected to substantially enlarge the so-called “standard model” and provide new insights into the structure of matter .

3 .3 .4 european southern observatory (eso)

Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 285748 GarchingTel.: 089 [email protected]

Members

Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic, UK

tasks

Construction, instrumentation and operation of astronomical observatories based in the southern hemisphere:

• Operation of an observatory with a total of 15 telescopes, located at an elevation of 2,400 m at La Silla in Chile; the facility’s largest optical telescope has a mirror diameter of 3 .6 m;

• Operation of the world’s most powerful optical telescope (Very Large Telescope – VLT) on Paranal mountain in Chile’s Atacama desert . The telescope comprises four interferometrically connected 8 m telescopes with the total light-gathering power of a 16 m telescope (VLTI);

• Development of new instruments and telescopes;

• Promotion of international co-operation in astronomy;

• Management of the European co-ordination body for the Hubble space telescope .

legal status

International organisation (subject of international law, basis: intergovernmental agreement of 5 October 1962) .


Funding for activities is provided by the Member States on the basis of a contribution percentage oriented to GNP . Germany’s share of the financing for ESO currently amounts to about 22 % .


The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a radio telescope that will be the world’s largest and most sensitive instrument at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, is currently under construction . ALMA is being built by ESO, the U .S . and Japan . The instrument, consisting of an array of 50 electronically interconnected individual telescopes, is being installed on the Chajnantor plain in the Atacama desert, at an elevation of 5,000 meters above sea level . When completed in 2011, the new telescope will have resolution 100 times better than that of today’s largest single-millimeter radio telescope, and this improvement is expected to open up a new dimension in cosmology . The new instrument is expected to open a window on to the formation of galaxies that took place 12 billion years ago .

In addition, planning is underway for a future European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) . That instrument, which will have a main mirror 42 meters in diameter, made up of 906 hexagonal mirror elements, is expected to be commissioned in 2018 .

3 .3 .5 european Molecular Biology Conference (eMBC)

Postfach 10224069012 HeidelbergTel.: 06221 88 [email protected]/embc


International

Members

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK

legal status

International organisation (basis: intergovernmental agreement of 13 February 1969) .

tasks

The EMBC is tasked with promoting European co-operation in the field of molecular biology research by

• Awarding research grants,

• Organising congresses and courses,

• Awarding prizes to young heads of research groups (Young Investigator Award),

• Carrying out a programme for electronic location and publication of scientific reports (E-BIOSCI),

• Awarding funding for co-operative research projects,

• Holding events on the topic of “Life science and society” .

The EMBC has transferred responsibility for implementing the programme to the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), a private organisation under Swiss law .


Funding for activities is provided by the Member States on the basis of a contribution percentage determined by a GNP key . Germany’s funding share amounts to 19 .74 % for 2009 and to about 19 % for the years 2010 through 2012 .


The new General Programme (framework programme) for the period 2010 through 2014 is expected to be approved by the Conference in November 2009 . Its focus is to remain on financing of long-term scholarships . In light of the difficult financial (policy) situations of the member states, only slight budget growth is expected, however .

3 .3 .6 european Molecular Biology laboratory (eMBl)

Meyerhofstraße 169117 HeidelbergTel.: 06221 [email protected]

Members

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, the UK

legal status

International organisation (basis: intergovernmental agreement of 10 May 1973) .

tasks

The EMBL is tasked with promoting European co-operation in the field of molecular biology research by

• Carrying out basic molecular-biological research in the following areas: Cell biology, structural biology, developmental biology, gene expression, bioinformatics;

• Conducting structural biology studies, with synchrotron radiation at branch institutes located at the DESY complex in Hamburg (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron – “German electron synchrotron”) and at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), and with neutron radiation at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) . (Both the ESRF and the ILL are located in Grenoble, France .)

• Establishing and managing databases for gene-sequence and protein-sequence data, at the European Institute for Bioinformatics, EBI (Hinxton branch, UK);

• Carrying out a mouse-genetics programme in the Monterotondo (Italy) branch location;

• Training life sciences researchers (visitor programme, international PhD programme) .

• Engaging in technology transfer


Funding for activities is provided by the Member States on the basis of a contribution percentage determined by a GNP key . Germany’s contribution to the financing for the EMBL amounts to a share of about 20 .6 % for the years 2009 and 2010 .


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The contract of Director General Prof . Iain Mattaj has been renewed until 31 October 2017 . Development of the next programme, to cover the period from 2012 to 2016, has been initiated . A scientific advisory committee (SAC) will assess the organisation’s scientific orientation in the coming months . The member states will decide on relevant financing in the Council meetings beginning in fall 2010 . The areas of system biology and bioinformatics are expected to continue to grow in importance, along with funding for interdisciplinary research . In March 2010, the EMBL’s new “Advanced Training Centre” (ATC) was officially commissioned . The ATC is a pioneering, structurally impacting project relative to the development of the EMBL, the research sector of the Rhine-Neckar region and European science overall, in the areas of scientific exchanges, training and education and promotion of young scientists and researchers in the life sciences .

3 .3 .7 european synchrotron radiation Facility (esrF)

6 rue Jules Horowitz, B.P. 220,38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, FranceTel.: 0033 4 [email protected]

Members

France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Nordsync (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden), Benesync (Belgium, Netherlands) and, as scientific members with restricted rights: Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Poland and Portugal

German shareholder

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchroton (DESY; “German Electron Synchrotron”) in the Helmholtz Association, Hamburg

legal status

Company under French private law (basis: intergovernmental agreement of 16 December 1988) .

tasks

Operation of the most powerful synchrotron-radiation facility in Europe . The facility is used for research on condensed matter, in the areas of physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, meteorology, materials sciences, geophysics and archeology .The following activities are carried out to these ends,

• Operation of the synchrotron-radiation facility, and development and construction of new types of experimental facilities;

• Scientific and technical support for some 4,000 scientists annually from the Member States, in planning, carrying out and evaluating measurements;

• Promotion of the organisation’s own scientific activities .


Germany’s funding share is set at 25 .5 % .


Use of synchrotron radiation in the life sciences has been intensified via installation of new experiments and via co-operation with ILL, ESRF, EMBL, the Institute for Structural Biology (IBS; Grenoble) and Joseph Fourier University (Grenoble), within the framework of the Partnership for Structural Biology (PSB) . In 2009, an upgrade of the synchrotron-radiation facility was begun . Experience gained by ESRF will also be of use for the new synchrotron-radiation sources being built in Europe, which will differ in their technical design and complement one another .

3 .3 .8 Institut laue-langevin (Ill)

6 rue Jules Horowitz, B.P. 156,38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, FranceTel.: 0033 4 [email protected]

Members

France, Germany and the UK and, as scientific members with restricted rights: CENI Consortium (Austria, Czech Republic and Hungary), Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain

German shareholder

Research Centre Jülich GmbH, within the Helmholtz Association

legal status

Company under French private law (basis: intergovernmental agreement of 19 January 1967; last renewed until 2013) .


International

tasks

• Issuing of regular medium-range and seasonal weather forecasts;

• Improvement of forecasting techniques through research and development;

• Further training of scientists in the national meteorological services;

• Establishment and maintenance of a meteorological database for use by the meteorological institutions of the Member States, for their own studies .


The ECMWF’s leading body is the Council, composed of two representatives of each Member State . The Council appoints the Director, who runs the operations, research and administration sections . He is supported by a finance committee, a scientific committee and a technical advisory committee .

3 .3 .10 european University Institute (eUI)

Badia FiesolanaVia die Roccettini, 950016 San Domenico di Fiesole, ItalyOffice: Villa Poggiolo, Piazza Edison, 11, FirenzeTel.: 0039 055 4685-335www.iue.it

parties to the agreement

EU countries

Founding

Established by international agreement of 1972 .

tasks

The European University Institute is a teaching and research institute for post-graduates . Its task is to contribute – through teaching and research at university level – towards the development of Europe’s cultural and scientific heritage .

As part of its general academic programme, it develops interdisciplinary projects for research into the key issues of European politics and society . To this end, the Institute offers the following possibilities for young graduates in the fields of history and cultural history, economics, law, political science and social sciences:

tasks

Operation of a high-flux reactor and its instruments .This neutron source, currently the world’s most powerful, is

used for studies of the structure and dynamics of solid and liquid matter, in the areas of materials research, biology, chemistry and medicine . The following activities are carried out to these ends:

• Operation of the reactor, and development and construction of new types of experimental facilities;

• Scientific and technical support for some 4,000 external scientists annually, in planning, carrying out and evaluating measurements;

• Promotion of the organisation’s its own scientific activities .


Germany’s funding share is set at 33 % .


A multi-year programme for improving and renovating experiments and infrastructure, as well as the reactor’s safety and security (measures which have included earthquake-proofing), has been completed . In the next ten years, other instruments will be brought in line with the state of the art and others will be built . As part of such work, beam tubes will be replaced or lengthened, the sample environment will be improved and reactor components will be refined .

3 .3 .9 european Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (eCMWF)

Shinfield ParkReading RG2 9AX, UKTel.: 0044 11 [email protected]

Members

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, the UK

Co-operation agreements with

Estonia, Iceland, Croatia, Lithuania, Morocco, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Hungary The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts was founded as a result of European co-operation under COST .


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shareholding countries

Germany, France, the UK, Netherlands

legal status

Company under German private law (European Transonic Windtunnel GmbH; shareholders: DLR, ONERA, DTI, NLR) .

tasks

Operation of the world’s most modern cryogenic transonic wind tunnel . With a high-pressure nitrogen flow at a temperature of 110 Kelvin (-163 degrees Celsius), the tunnel is used for simulation and optimisation of new aircraft under cruising-flight conditions near the supersonic range, i .e . at very high Reynolds numbers .


The supervisory board consists of representatives of the governments and the national research institutions of the participating countries . Since the end of trial operations, in 1999, the ETW has been used for checking measurements of other wind tunnels and for research and development . Where possible, developments involving completely new types of passenger aircraft are to be carried out completely via testing in the ETW . The ETW is supposed to be self-financing, via income from testing .


Intensified demand on the part of the aviation industry is enabling the facility to operate at a high level of capacity use and, thus, to support its operations via its own income . A shareholder-financed upgrade programme is currently being discussed .

3 .4 Council of Europe

Avenue de l’Europe67075 Strasbourg Cedex, FranceTel. 0033 3 88412000www.coe.int

Founding, and members

The Council of Europe was founded on 5 May 1949 . It was the first of the major European post-war organisations to be founded . Currently, its membership numbers 47 countries . The last enlargement took place in 2007, via the accession of

• An EUI doctorate for post-graduates after three years of research at the EUI;

• A special master’s degree for graduate lawyers and economists after one year of research;

• A year to do research on European issues and the development of European institutions (“Jean Monnet scholarships”);

• Post-doctoral programme . With the support of the European Union (GD Education and Culture), the EUI has initiated a challenging social-science programme .

In 1992, the EUI decided to establish the Robert Schumann Centre, which conducts research on major overarching questions of European integration .

The teaching staff and research assistants from the departments of the EUI, supported by visiting professors, come together in working groups to co-ordinate research work on selected topics, organise the expansion of international co-operation networks in their research fields, and hold colloquia and round-table discussions . For further details, see the EUI’s Web site: www .iue .it


The organs of the EUI are the High Council, the Principal of the Institute and the Academic Council . The High Council, which consists of two representatives from each of the member states, adopts the Institute’s budget and sets forth the main guidelines for the EUI . The international teaching and research staff has a core group of 51 full-time professors .

Total expenditures (2005: approximately € 33 .7 million) are funded via contributions from the Member States, third-party funding – mainly from the EU – and a small amount of the EUI’s own funds . Like France, Italy and the United Kingdom, Germany pays 17 .89 % of the contributions from the Member States (2005: € 3 .6 million from the budget of the BMBF) . It also awards 35 scholarships a year via the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) .

In the next few years, the EUI’s planned enlargement, from 15 to 25 Member States (as a consequence of EU enlargement), will change the Member States’ percentage shares of the aforementioned budget .

3 .3 .11 european transonic Wind tunnel (etW)

Ernst-Mach-Straße51147 KölnTel.: 02203 [email protected]


International

Montenegro . Except for Belarus, all European countries are thus members of the Council of Europe .


The activities of the Council of Europe are centred on promoting human rights and the development of constitutional and democratic structures . In addition, the Council of Europe supports

• Close co-operation between its members;

• Its members’ economic and social progress;

• The spread of good governance and the fight against international terrorism;

• Debate on the risks of new technologies and on bioethics

• Education, culture, monument preservation, sports and youth .

The legal basis for intergovernmental co-operation in the last of the aforementioned areas consists of the European Cultural Convention of 1954, of which 49 countries are currently members . Co-operation takes place via four steering committees:

1 . Steering committee for education (CD-ED)2 . Steering committee for university education and research

(CD-ESR)3 . Steering committee for culture (CD-CULT)4 . Steering committee for cultural heritage (CD-PAT)

The education and cultural activities of the Council of Europe in which the Federal Government and the German Länder participate include

• Promoting learning of foreign languages in schools, higher education institutions and adult education;

• Promoting democracy education via an orientation to European legal traditions and basic values;

• A continuing education programme for teachers, covering the area of modern European history in the classroom;

• Human rights education;

• Preparing recommendations relative to intercultural and interreligious dialogue, as well as to intercultural education;

• Promoting and preserving cultural heritage, promoting monument protection and promoting and preserving cultural diversity

• Providing consultation and education assistance for the process of stabilisation and transformation in southeast Europe .

The Council of Europe also supports the establishment of a joint European Higher Education Area (EHEA), works for the recognition of university degrees, promotes the work of the European Network of Information Centres (ENIC) and of the National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC)

(ENIC-NARIC network) and supports its member states in implementing the Bologna process . The Council of Europe has an important role in the Bologna process, as a consulting member .

Budget

In 2009, the Council of Europe had a total budget of EUR 286 million . Of that amount, a total of EUR 81 million are set aside for special tasks and a pension fund . The Council of Europe fulfills its statutory tasks via a regular budget, as generated from members’ dues, of EUR 205 million . The five largest contributors, each with a share of 11 .9 %, are Germany, Russia, France, the UK and Italy . Also in 2009, the Council of Europe had a budget of EUR 4 .54 million for education-related measures . With an additional EUR 2 .92 million, the Council of Europe finances measures and initiatives in the areas of “bioethics” and “media, information society and data privacy” .

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4 Multilateral organisations and initiatives

4 .1 Group of Eight (G8)

The Group of Eight (G8) is an important international forum, with global responsibility . In 1975, the heads of state and government of important industrialised nations met for the first time, in Rambouillet, France, to discuss world economic trends and to adopt resolutions relative to political measures . The G8 is not an international organisation, however . It has neither an administration of its own, with a permanent secretariat, nor a permanent representative institution for its members . Instead, the G8 is an informal forum of heads of state and government of the “traditional” industrialised countries – the U .S ., Canada, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Russia . The G8 presidency rotates in accordance with a defined sequence . In 2007, Germany again held the G8 Presidency . It previously held the Presidency in 1978, 1985, 1992 and 1999 . The meeting site chosen for the G8 summit in 2007 was the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm . In 2009, Italy held the presidency (summit in L‘Aquila), while Canada has the presidency in 2010 (summit in Muskoka) .

The resolutions of the G8 are not legally binding . The range of issues covered in recent years has comprised the entire spectrum of global politics . Along with economic policy, the group also addresses issues of development policy, environmental policy and security policy – as well as issues relevant to education and research . In light of increasing global challenges in the areas of climate, energy, infectious diseases and food security, in recent years the G8 have adopted numerous resolutions calling for intensification of research and development and for expansion of international research and technology co-operation . In the G8 framework, the BMBF is working to enhance multilateral co-operation in, and management of, research policy . In 2008, a first meeting of G8 ministers of research took place .

For a number of years, the possibility of enlarging the G8 has been discussed . Under the British presidency, representatives of the five most important threshold countries, China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, were invited for the first time to a G8 summit . That year‘s summit (2005) took place in Gleneagles . At the 2007 G8 summit in Heiligendamm, the heads of state and government of the G8 countries, of the G5 countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa), and the European Commission, agreed, under the German presidency, to engage in an open dialogue on four selected topic areas (trans-boundary investments, innovation, energy and development) (Heiligendamm Process) . Results of the

Heiligendamm Process were presented at the 2009 G8 summit in L‘Aquila . The overall assessment was highly positive, as the document „Promoting the Global Agenda“, the first joint declaration of the heads of state and government of both the G8 and the G5 countries, shows . A central feature of that document is its assertion that the participating countries need to work together for sustainable, balanced and innovative growth . The G8 and G5 countries also assessed the Heiligendamm Process as an initiative for the establishment of an equal, lasting partnership relative to key issues on the global agenda .

In keeping with the need to address the global financial and economic crisis, since 2008 summits have been held, at the level of heads of state and government, that have included the 20 most important industrialised and threshold countries (Group of 20 – G20) (November 2008 in Washington, April 2009 in London, September 2009 in Pittsburgh) . In 2010, G20 summits are to be held in Canada and South Korea . By the G20 summit in London, it had become clear that the G20 will need to take on considerably greater responsibility in future . Whereas the agendas covered to date have been oriented primarily to financial and economic policy issues, the group is expected to begin covering additional political areas as of 2010 . Plans call for German education and research policy to respond to this new „variable geometry“ with respect to specific issues . Significantly, ministers of finance have met annually in the G20 format since 1999, shortly after Asian markets crashed .

4 .2 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

2, rue André Pascal75775 Paris Cedex 16, Francewww.oecd.org

The main task of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to contribute to the economic development of its member states . At the same time, it endeavours to maintain a balance of the three

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paradigms of economic growth, social stability and good public management . The OECD has 30 member countries (U .S ., Canada, Mexico, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan und Korea, 19 EU Member States and four other European countries) .

In the OECD, government representatives of the various member countries meet in order to discuss and co-ordinate the entire spectrum of economic and social policy, on the basis of comparative analyses . Reviews by partners of equal status, and mutual exchange, are the OECD’s main instruments for designing policies aimed at achieving the strongest possible, and yet sustainable, growth and employment levels, as well as rising standards of living .

The enlargement process begun under OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría in 2007 is centrally important in charting a course for the OECD’s future work and significance . The process includes the acceptance of four additional countries (Estonia, Israel, Russia and Slovenia) and intensification of co-operation with China, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and India .

In the area of research, the OECD is a highly useful platform, both politically and with regard to specialised, technical aspects, for exchanges of information and experience . What is more, it offers the opportunity for national initiatives . The OECD’s Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (STI) regularly publishes studies showing the latest findings of scientific and innovation research, as well as relevant data on individual countries (OECD member countries and, increasingly, larger threshold countries . Furthermore, in suitable areas, the OECD works to harmonise national frameworks for science and research (recommendations relative to access to research data from publicly financed research and relative to human genetics) .

In contrast to the EU, the OECD does not fund international research co-operation via a programme of its own . Instead, the OECD takes an active role primarily by providing current-situation assessments and recommendations for international research co-operation . For some years now, multinational research and technology co-operation has increasingly been seen as an important instrument for dealing with global challenges (such as climate protection, energy and water shortages, infectious diseases, etc .) . With key German support, the OECD is currently preparing a strategic initiative for improving the framework for multinational research and technology co-operation aimed at dealing with global challenges . The relevant objective is to develop pertinent OECD recommendations . The new project was kicked off with a workshop held in March 2009, at German initiative . In addition, the OECD’s Global Science Forum is carrying out a project on good practice relative to integration of research and technology co-operation within development co-operation . In future, the OECD’s various bodies are to play a greater role in co-ordinating global initiatives in research and technology policy with national programmes .

The most important results to come from the OECD research sector in recent years include:

• Declaration on Access to Research Data from Public Funding; 2007;

• Country-specific processing of data on science and innovation systems, in the framework of preparation of concise country profiles for the flagship publication STI Outlook;

• Development of guidelines relative to biobanks and genetic-research databases, which guidelines are expected to be adopted by the OECD Council in 2009 as recommendations;

• Integration of non-member countries in work in the area of research and technology – for example, via participation in OECD reviews of innovation policy (countries so integrated to date: Chile, China and South Africa)

• An innovation strategy for the OECD Council, that is to be developed in June 2010, will be of overarching importance . The strategy will be aimed at tapping into the full potential of innovation, to enhance productivity, environmentally friendly growth, equal opportunity and development . In the broad approach being taken, the innovation strategy is to have a horizontal, interdisciplinary orientation, covering all relevant policy areas . Furthermore, in 2009, the OECD Council commissioned the development of a “Strategy for Green Growth” .

Thanks to a number of institutional reforms, the OECD education sector now has a stronger strategic orientation . The organisation’s member states are being supported in achieving a high quality of learning for all, in the interest of individual personal development, sustainable economic growth and social cohesion . That effort is centred on analysing the school and education systems of the OECD member states and on studying relevant interfaces to the labour market, to the economy and to society . In the education sector, the project “Innovation Strategy for Education and Training” is of special importance . That effort is being carried out by the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), in co-operation with a working group under the umbrella of the OECD Committe for Science and Technology Policy . The project’s initial aim is to define the qualifications needed for creating innovation . On that basis, approaches for innovation-promoting education and training policies will then be identified . Ultimately, the project will consider how education and training can themselves become more innovative . Because that is a question of great importance for Germany, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is supporting the project with voluntary contributions . On 17/18 November 2008, the OECD and the BMBF jointly held an OECD-Germany workshop in the town of Bad Honnef, entitled “Advancing Innovation: Human Resources, Education and Training” .


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4 .3 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

7, place de Fontenoy75352 Paris 07 SP, Francewww.unesco.org

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a special organisation within the UN family, has the task of promoting peace and security by supporting international co-operation in education, science, culture and communication . UNESCO has a total of 191 member states; the Federal Republic of Germany has been a member since 1951 . Being a mediating organisation in the field of cultural policy abroad, the German UNESCO Commission has the tasks of advising the Federal Government and other responsible agencies, contributing to implementing the UNESCO programme in Germany, informing the public about such efforts and establishing contacts between scientific organisations, institutions and experts and UNESCO .

The programme “Education for All” (EFA) is UNESCO’s largest programme for improving the education situation world-wide . On a yearly basis, the organisation, also with the support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), evaluates progress toward the aim of achieving the EFA goals by 2015 . In a follow-on action after the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the United Nations announced the “UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development” (2005-2014) and charged UNESCO with managing this effort . The purpose of the Decade is to enshrine ideals of ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development in education around the world . In Germany, Decade implementation is being co-ordinated by the German UNESCO Commission, under commission to the BMBF . To that end, the Commission has appointed a national committee that honours worthy practical examples of education for sustainable development as official German contributions to the Decade . From 31 March to 2 April 2009, on the occasion of the Decade’s half-way mark, Germany hosted the global UNESCO conference “Education for Sustainable Development” in Bonn . That conference adopted a “Bonn Declaration” which was then approved by the 35th General Conference .

Via numerous long-term scientific programmes, UNESCO supports study and protection of the environment in which people live . The range of such efforts includes international co-operation in environmental research (Man and the Biosphere (MAB)), co-ordination of marine research, via the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC); research into geological processes (International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP)); research into water cycles and into effective ways of managing water resources (International

Hydrological Programme (IHP)) . Germany is a member of the IHP Intergovernmental Council, of the MAB Co-ordinating Council and of the IOC Executive Council . Since 2004, an international programme for basic scientific research has been underway, a programme in which fields such as chemistry, physics, mathematics and certain engineering fields are emphasised that do not fall within the areas of responsibility of other UN organisations . Germany takes an active role in UNESCO’s science programme . In co-ordination with the German UNESCO Commission, relevant responsible federal ministries have established national committees for four programmes in this area .

Under an intergovernmental programme entitled “Management of Social Transformation” (MOST), UNESCO promotes interregionally networked and comparable social science research projects that deal, inter alia, with issues of urbanisation, multi-cultural co-existence and migration .

In October 2009, the 35th UNESCO General Conference took place in Paris . Its most important results included:

• UNESCO’s programmes and budget for the years 2010 and 2011 were approved; UNESCO’s regular 2-year budget (2010/11) was slightly increased, to US$ 653 million (an increase of about 1 .7 %) . In all likelihood, extrabudgetary resources of about the same amount will be available;

• As called for by scheduled rotations, half of the 58 memberships of the UNESCO Executive Council were up for renewal, and a relevant election was held . Germany has been a member of that body since 2007 and will come up for re-election in two years

• Ms . Irina Bokova, from Bulgaria, nominated by the Executive Council, was elected by a large majority as the new Director-General;

• Germany was elected, by a large majority, to the body’s Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC)

• Resolutions introduced by Germany, relative to biosphere reserves and to education for sustainable development, were adopted by consensus

• The Director-General was requested to sign the founding agreement for the Category II Institute for Hydrology in Koblenz (Cat . II = financing is provided largely by the host country)

• In the framework of two “Ministerial Round Tables”, proposals relative to the topic areas of education and the oceans were collected, under the expectation that the proposals could be of use to the new Director-General in restructuring relevant research programmes over the longer term .


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4 .4 UN organisations in Germany

UN CampusHermann-Ehlers-Str. 1053113 Bonn

Bonn, the federal city, is currently home to 19 UN institutions; the institutions are located on the UN Campus in the city’s former government district . The Federal Government actively supports decisions by UN institutions to locate in Bonn .

United nations University – Institute for environment and human security

The United Nations University (UNU) was founded in 1973 by the UN General Assembly . As an international community of scientists, it serves as a think tank for the UN, and it perceives itself as a bridge between the academic world and the UN system . The UNU is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan .

The Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) is one of 13 UNU research and education centres worldwide . It carries out interdisciplinary study of the causes of natural disasters and lasting changes that threaten human security; including study of strategies for mitigating and preparing for such events; and with development and implementation of concepts for vulnerability reduction and for disaster management . Via establishment of close co-operation relations with UNU-EHS, the competencies of German research institutions in these areas are being increasingly integrated in relevant worldwide co-operation and in building of intellectual capacities, especially in developing countries . (www .ehs .unu .edu)

Un University – vice rectorate in europe

The UNU Vice Rectorate in Europe (UNU-ViE), on the UN Campus in Bonn, is the first UNU Vice Rectorate outside of Tokyo . It is an important step in strengthening the UNU’s presence in Europe, and another step forward in the UNU’s process of decentralisation . The Vice Rectorate works to develop good contacts to UN-system bodies, regional and international organisations, governments, business enterprises, higher education institutions and research institutions and foundations, primarily in Europe . Since March 2007, the University of Bonn and the UNU have been linked via an association agreement .

Thematically, the Vice Rectorate concentrates especially on science and technology issues of relevance to human security . Key topics include climate change, energy security and the environment . The Vice Rectorate’s regional focuses are on Europe, Russia, central Asia and Africa . In the past, the Vice Rectorate’s has co-operated multidimensionally with the University of Bonn’s Centre for Development Research, with

such co-operation leading to joint projects in Africa and central Asia . The Vice Rectorate’s main activities include initiating, supporting and co-ordinating projects for development of intellectual resources and for knowledge transfer . To these ends, a number of scientific exchange programmes involving Europe, Africa and central Asia, and several UNU research and training centres, have been launched . (www .vie .unu .edu)

Un University – International human dimensions programme on Global environmental Change

The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (UNU-IHDP) is an international, interdisciplinary science programme that operates under the auspices of the UNU-ViE . In addition to the UNU, the programme is sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC) . The programme is aimed at co-ordinating research worldwide in the areas of the social dimensions and economics of global environmental change . (www .ihdp .uni-bonn .de)

Un Water decade programme on Capacity development (UnW-dpC)

The Water Decade Programme Office also operates under the auspices of the UNU-ViE (the umbrella organisation) . The programme’s purpose is to co-ordinate and reinforce the activities of more than two dozen UN organisations and programmes of relevance to global water issues, with a view to achieving the millennium goals related to water . In its work, it carries out education and training programmes and builds suitable structures and institutions . (www .unwater .unu .edu)

other Un institutions in Bonn

• UNESCO International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education (UNESCO-UNEVOC): www .unevoc .unesco .org

• United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV): www .unvolunteers .org

• Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): www .unfccc .int

• Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): www .unccd .int

• Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS): www .cms .int

• Secretariat of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (UNEP/ AEWA): www .unep-aewa .org

• Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (UNEP/ASCOBANS): www .ascobans .org

• Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (UNEP/EUROBATS): www .eurobats .org

• United Nations Secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction – Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning (UN/ISDR-PPEW): www .unisdr .org/ppew


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• World Health Organization European Centre for Environment and Health (WHO/ECEH): www .euro .who .int/ecehbonn

• Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO – Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Connected Seas (UNESCO/IOC/ICG/NEAMTWS): www .ioc-tsunami .org/content/view/35/1035/

• United Nations Regional Information Centre/Liaison office in Germany (UNRIC): www .unric .org

• UN World Tourism Organization Consulting Unit on Sustainable Tourism Development (UNWTO): www .unwto .de

• United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER): www .unoosa .org/oosa/en/unspider/index .html

• The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (UNEP-TEEB): www .unric .org/index .php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23020

4 .5 Other international bodies and initiatives

International Dialogue on Sustainability Research PT-DLR, International Bureau of the BMBFHeinrich-Konen-Str. 153227 Bonn, Deutschland

In 2007, the BMBF took the initiative of developing, in co-operation with the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), a forum for international dialogue on sustainability research (“Dialogue for Sustainability” – D4S) . The dialogue plays a central role in implementation of priority aims of the Federal Government’s Internationalisation Strategy .

The scientific sectors of developing and threshold countries have been growing and maturing, and such countries now play a key role in efforts to address global challenges – climate change, environmental destruction, scarcities of water and energy resources . Scientific co-operation with such countries can contribute to their own local solutions, while also developing growing markets for German industry . To date, the BMBF has signed relevant “Joint Declarations”, at the ministerial level, with India, South Africa, Brazil and China . The Dialogue process is enhancing Germany’s presence in important, emerging knowledge and growth markets .

The perspectives within this framework include:

• Identification of new topics for bilateral science and technology co-operation;

• Introduction of new topics to international dialogue on research, to help shape such dialogue

• Further implementation of jointly developed research and co-operation projects (www .dialogue4s .de)

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)c/o World Meteorological Organization7bis Avenue de la Paix, C.P. 23001211 Genf 2, Switzerland

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was founded in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) . The IPCC is open to all states that are members of the WMO or the UNEP .

Supported by a large number of scientists from all over the world, and drawing on current research findings, the IPCC prepares scientific reports on climate change, climate protection and adaptation to climate change . These reports provide important information for the organs of the Framework Convention on Climate Change . For its study of the entire climate issue, the IPCC has established three working groups: Working Group I assesses scientific study of the climate system, Working Group II addresses the consequences of climate change and options for adapting to it, and Working Group III assesses options for mitigating climate change . In September 2008, Professor Edenhofer of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and two other scientists (one from Cuba and one from Mali), were appointed as co-chairs of Working Group III . The BMBF supports activities in this framework by financing the Technical Support Unit (TSU) for the chair of Working Group III .

The IPCC’s First Assessment Report (1990) provided a basic description of the earth’s climate . Its Second Assessment Report (1995) then found, for the first time, that all findings to date point to a human impact on the earth’s climate . Its Third Assessment Report (2001) went a step further, concluding that global climate is being more strongly influenced by human activities than was previously thought . In comparison to the Second Assessment Report, the Third Assessment Report reflected considerable progress in scientific understanding of the subject area . In particular, improvements in the relevant data and climate models made it possible to provide stronger evidence of climate change . The Fourth Assessment Report, which appeared in 2007, indicates that the overall problems are worsening as certain self-reinforcing processes accelerate (for example, melting of ice sheets in Greenland and in the West Antarctic, and melting of nearly all of the world’s glaciers) .

Research work carried out in Germany has made important contributions to IPCC Reports . German scientists have been increasingly involved in the relevant process, as authors or as experts commenting on draft reports . The German IPCC Co-ordination Office, supported by the BMBF and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and


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Nuclear Safety (BMU), promotes integration of German research groups’ findings within the IPCC framework, and it helps to communicate the IPCC’s findings to the German public . (www .ipcc .ch)

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) FCCC Secretariat Haus CarstanjenMartin-Luther-King-Strasse 853175 Bonn

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) entered into force on 21 March 1994 and, to date, has been ratified by 194 countries and by the EU . It is the first-ever legally binding basis for global climate protection . The aim of the Convention is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system .

As part of the process of implementing and enhancing the Framework Convention on Climate Change, Conferences of the Parties are held annually for negotiation on commitments to limit and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions . The third Conference of the Parties, held in Kyoto, Japan, from 1 to 12 December 1997, proved to be a milestone . By consensus, a protocol was adopted that requires industrialised countries to reduce their combined greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 5 %, compared to the relevant 1990 emissions levels, within the period 2008 to 2012 . The “Kyoto Protocol” entered into force on 16 February 2005, 90 days after its ratification by the Russian Parliament . As of that time, a total of 141 countries had ratified the Protocol, a group representing 85 % of the world’s population and 62 % of global CO2 emissions . By 2007, Germany had already reached its emissions-reduction goal as set forth in the Kyoto Protocol – to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions by 21 % with regard to their levels in 1990 . Along with emissions targets, the Protocol also introduces innovative instruments, such as emissions trading and such as Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM), which provide the possibility of contributing to sustainable development, and to emissions reduction, by co-operating in projects in developing countries .

The 15th Conference of Parties took place from 7 to 18 December 2009 in Copenhagen . The result it produced was not the conclusion expected after years of negotiations, a global climate agreement covering the period after 2012 . Instead, a group of heads of state and government, representing 26 countries, worked out a “Copenhagen Accord”, which was then “taken note of” at the COP15’s final plenary session . Inter alia, the Accord includes the long-term goal of limiting the global temperature increase to less than 2°C; a commitment by industrialised and developing countries to implement medium-term reduction targets and measures for 2020; and commitments by industrialised countries to provide financial support for climate protection measures in developing countries . In addition, the COP15 agreed that the work of

working groups under the UNFCC and the Kyoto Protocol should continue . Plans call for the Copenhagen Accord to serve as a basis for further negotiations – which are to be aimed at achieving a multilateral agreement . The next COP, COP16, will take place from 8 to 12 November 2010 in Mexico . (www .unfccc .int)

UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)Division for Sustainable DevelopmentTwo United Nations PlazaRoom DC2-2220New York, NY 10017, USA

In the wake of the “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), which was established in 1993, has assumed a central role in monitoring implementation and further development of the Agenda 21 and other Rio resolutions . The CSD membership comprises 53 countries, including Germany . The CSD meets once a year for a two-week conference preceded by expert meetings .

The World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in Johannesburg in September 2002, comprehensively assessed implementation of the Agenda 21, which was adopted in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro . In many areas, the Agenda 21 aims have not yet been achieved, and thus the work of the CSD has been extended, and its task and role confirmed . In an effort to enhance preparation of the CSD’s activities and decisions, the thematic priorities for the coming years have been defined in the form of seven two-year clusters . For each of these clusters, several priority topics have been defined, in keeping with the action plan adopted in Johannesburg . The topics for the 2008/2009 two-year cycle include Africa, agriculture, desertification, land consumption and rural development . All annual meetings of the CSD regularly consider both these thematic priorities and the cross-cutting topics of the Johannesburg action plan . The cross-cutting topics also include education and research . (www .un .org/esa/sustdev)

UN Convention on Biological DiversitySecretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity413, Saint Jacques Street, Suite 800Montreal QC H2Y 1N9, Canada

The Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, by about 170 countries, including Germany . It was then ratified by the same countries . The three main objectives of the Convention include:

• Conservation of biological diversity;

• Sustainable use of its components – i .e . use that does not endanger long-term biological diversity;


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• Equitable and fair distribution of the benefits from use of genetic resources .

The Convention sets forth – for the first time in a binding way under international law – that biological diversity falls under the sovereignty of nations and is a finite resource . The industrialised and developing countries share responsibility for achieving the aims of the Convention and conserving this resource for the benefit of, and as a vital basis for, future generations . At conferences of the parties held at two-year intervals, the parties have detailed the Convention’s provisions and approved various multi-year programmes of work . The last such conference was the 9th COP, held in 2008 in Bonn .

In 2000, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a supplementary protocol to the CBD, was approved . The Cartagena Protocol is an international UN agreement covering trans-boundary trade and traffic in living, genetically modified organisms (GMO) . In 2002, a Strategic Plan for the CBD was adopted, aimed at reducing current rates of biodiversity loss, at the global, national and regional levels, by 2010 . This plan is seen as a contribution that will support the fight against poverty and benefit all life .

With its solution-oriented, interdisciplinarily structured biodiversity research, the BMBF is contributing significantly to achievement of the Convention aims . Research in this area has a highly international orientation, and it is focussed especially on African regions . (www .cbd .int)

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)GBIF SecretariatUniversitetsparken 152100 Copenhagen, Denmark

In the years 1996-2000, and at the initiative of the OECD (Megascience Forum Working Group on Biological Informatics), the idea of a globally networked system of data and information about global biodiversity was developed . In March 2001, following approval at the ministerial level, the relevant international agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) entered into force . Germany has been a member of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) since 1 February 2001 . As of the end of 2009, the GBIF had a total of 93 members (51 countries and 42 national and international organisations) .

The task of the GBIF is to facilitate free world-wide access to biodiversity data . To that end, the GBIF co-ordinates, initiates and supports development of relevant software and a global network of information-processing nodes with access to the enormous data resources in natural history museums, libraries and databases . In 2004, the organisation was evaluated by an independent, international group of experts . That group found that the GBIF’s first phase had been successful overall, and that assessment paved the way for the GBIF’s transition, as of 2006, into its operational phase .

From 2002 to 2007, with the support of the BMBF, the required GBIF infrastructure was established in Germany, comprising (inter alia) seven information nodes oriented to major plant and animal groups . Currently, the BMBF is supporting the establishment of a complementary online system for soil-zoology information, as well as the establishment of GBIF links for biodiversity data from ongoing research projects . (www .gbif .org)

International energy agency (Iea), paris

The activities of the International Energy Agency (IEA) are centred on assuring the energy supply of its 27 member states, on energy-market issues and on energy-policy aspects of sustainable development (energy research, climate change, development of new energy-relevant and environmentally relevant technologies) . The IEA engages in dialogue with non-member states and with industry with regard to all of these topic areas . (www .iea .org)

human Frontier science program organisation (hFspo), strassbourg

The Human Frontier Science Program Organisation (HFSPO) was founded in 1989, at the initiative of the Japanese government, by world economic summit participants . It is now supported by 12 states and the EU . The organisation’s purpose is to promote innovative basic research, with a focus on the complex mechanisms of living organisms – i .e . in an area of the life sciences ranging from molecular biology to cognitive neuroscience . The organisation both funds projects of international research groups and awards research grants . (www .hfsp .org)

Consultative Group on International agricultural research, Washington

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a strategic alliance of 22 industrialised countries, 25 developing countries, 13 international and regional organisations and four private foundations . It supports 15 international agricultural research institutes, spread throughout the world . Research is oriented to reducing hunger and poverty and to protecting and conserving natural resources in developing countries . The CGIAR has defined the following overarching research priorities: sustainable production, strengthening of national agricultural research systems, improvement and collection of genetic resources and promotion of research policy in the agricultural sector . (www .cgiar .org)

International renewable energy agency (Irena)

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which was founded in January 2009 in Bonn, is an intergovernmental organisation that focuses on development of renewable

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International

MUltIlateral orGanIsatIons and InItIatIves

energies in both industrialised and developing countries . The new agency will have its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, while an IRENA technology and innovation centre will be established in Bonn . A liaison office, for cultivating and maintaining energy-relevant contacts to the UN and to other international institutions, will be established in Vienna . Germany has agreed to provide a one-time payment of EUR 4 million for the establishment of the innovation and technology centre in Bonn, and to provide between EUR 2 and 3 million annually for the centre’s operation . (www .irena .org)

376 lIst oF InternatIonal sCIentIFIC and teChnICal aGreeMents

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List of international scientific and technical agreements

The following table contains a selection of international agreements in the areas of science and research – including both agreements under general international law and other international agreements – entered into by Germany (by the Federal Government, or by individual federal ministries) as of April 2010 .

Country/partnertype of

agreementsubject signed on In force since promulgation

egypt

Governments Agreement Scientific research and techno-logical development

11 April 1979 20 February 1980

Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1981 II 135

BMBF – Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research

Agreement on a joint effort

Establishment of a joint research fund

06 December 2007

06 December 2007

Not published

argentina

Governments Framework agreement

Scientific research and technolo-gical development

31 March 1969 22 October 1969


australia

Governments Agreement Scientific and technological co-operation

24 August 1976 25 October 1976


Belarus

BMBF – Ministry for Education and Science (cf. note 3)

Joint declaration Scientific and technological co-operation

18 March 1996 19 March 1996 Not published

Brazil


Scientific research and techno-logical development

20 March 1996 18 February 1997

BGBl 1997 II 1747

Bulgaria

Governments Agreement Scientific research and technolo-gical development

25 February 1988

25 February 1988


377lIst oF InternatIonal sCIentIFIC and teChnICal aGreeMents

International



Chile


28 August 1970 23 October 1970


China


09 October 1978

10 November 1978


estonia

BMBF – Ministry for Edu-cation and Research

Memorandum of Understanding

On co-operation in science, technology and education

06 May 2003 06 May 2003

Greece

BMFT – Minister for Co-ordination

Framework agreement

Scientific and technological co-operation

30 November 1978

30 November 1978


India


30 January / 07 March 1974

07 March 1974 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1974 II 998

BMFT – Minister of Sci-ence and Technology

Agreement Establishment of an Indo-Ger-man Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC)

30 October 2007

30 October 2007


Declaration Research oriented to sustaina-ble development

09 September 2008

09 September 2008

Indonesia


20 March 1979 13 December 1979


Iraq

Governments Agreement Economic, scientific and techni-cal co-operation

26 May 1981 15 July 1981 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1981 II 653

Iran


30 June 1975 21 November 1977



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Israel

BMFT – National Council for Research and Deve-lopment (NCRD)

Agreement Scientific and technical co-operation

03 September 1973

03 September 1973

Not published

BMFT – Minister of Sci-ence and Development

Agreement German-Israeli Foundation for scientific research and develop-ment

04 July 1986 04 July 1986 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1986 II 890


Agreement Amendment of the agreement on the foundation for scientific research and development

25 March 1993


Joint declaration Co-operation in and with Africa 18 January 2010

18 January 2010

BMBF – Minister of Indus-try, Trade and Labor

Joint declaration Co-operation in application-ori-ented research and in vocatio-nal training

18 January 2010

18 January 2010

Japan

Governments Agreement Co-operation in the field of science and technology

08 October 1974

08 October 1974


Former yugoslavia (cf . note 1)

BMFT – Federal Office for International Co-operati-on in the Field of Science, Education, Culture and Technology

Agreement Scientific research and techno-logical development

23 May 1975 23 May 1975 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1975 II 920

Canada


16 April 1971 30 June 1971 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1972 II 566

south Korea (republic of Korea)


11 April 1986 09 September 1986


Kuwait


13 December 1979

04 November 1980



International



latvia

BMBF – Ministry for Edu-cation and Science



08 May 2003 08 May 2003

lithuania

BMBF – Ministry for Edu-cation and Science



19 August 2003

19 August 2003

Morocco

BMBF – Ministry for Higher Education, Ma-nagement Training and Scientific Research



09 October 1998

09 October 1998

Not published

Mexico



06 February 1974

04 September 1975


republic of Moldova

BMBF – Academy of SciencesCf. Note 3

Memorandum of Intentions



Mongolia

Departmental agreement

Co-operation in the areas of science, technology and educa-tion policy

29 July 2003 29 July 2003 Not published

new Zealand


02 December 1977

23 August 1978 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1979 II 9

pakistan


30 November 1972

15 October 1973


poland

Governments Agreement Co-operation in the areas of science and technology

10 November 1989

01 February 1990



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portugal


15 June 1981 21 September 1981


romania


29 June 1973 29 June 1973 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1973 II 1481

russia


16 July 2009 16 July 2009 www.bmbf.de/de/2513.php

Governments Joint declaration German-Russian strategic part-nership in education, research and innovation

11 April 2005 11 April 2005 www.bmbf.de/pub/Gemein-sameErkla-erungRUS.pdf

saudi arabia


07 January 1980

24 March 1982 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1982 II 565

singapore

BMFT – Ministry of Trade and Industry

Agreement Scientific research and techno-logical development

13 April 1994 13 April 1994 Not published

slovakia (cf . note 2)


02 November 1990

02 November 1990


slovenia

BMFT – Ministry of Sci-ence and Technology

Joint declaration Scientific and technological co-operation

02 June 1993 02 June 1993 Not published

spain


Scientific research and techno-logical development

23 April 1970 10 March 1971 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1971 II 1006

south africa

BMBF – Ministry for Art, Culture, Science and Technology

Agreement Co-operation in the areas of sci-ence, research and technology

12 June 1996 12 June 1996 BGBl 1997 II 37


International



Czech republic (cf . note 2)


02 November 1990

02 November 1990


tunisia

BMBF – State Secretariat for Scientific Research and Technology



10 September 1998

10 September 1998

Not published

Ussr, former (cf . note 3)


22 July 1986 07 July 1987 Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 1988 II 394

Ukraine (cf . note 3)

BMFT – State Committee for Science and Techno-logy

Joint declaration Scientific and technological relations

10 June 1993 10 June 1993 Not published

Federal Ministry for Eco-nomic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Government-to-government agreement

Consultation and technical co-operation (also STC)

29 May 1996 13 February 1997


hungary


07 October 1987

07 October 1987


Usa


18 February 2010

18 February 2010

Not yet publis-hed

Uzbekistan

Governments(Cf. Note 3)

Joint declaration Structuring of scientific and technical co-operation

06 April 1998 06 April 1998 Not published

venezuela



16 October 1978

28 December 1978



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vietnam

BMBF – Ministry of Research and Technology (MOSTE)

Agreement Intensification of scientific and technological co-operation


1) As regards the successor of former Yugoslavia, it is examined in every individual case whether co-operation will be resumed and,

if so, on what basis .

2) The relevant agreement with the former Czechoslovakia is now applied to the Czech Republic and Slovakia .

3) The agreements under international law concluded between the Federal Republic of Germany and the former USSR continue to be applied in the relations between the

Federal Republic of Germany, the Russian Federation and the other successor states (cf . in particular the announcement of 14 August 1992 regarding the Russian

Federation – Federal Law Gazette 1992 II p . 1015) . In 2009, a new STC agreement was concludes with the Russian Federation (cf . the Table) .

Source: BMBF

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