Cross-border challenges require cross-border solutions. When it comes to tackling climate change, curbing global pandemics or developing and implementing key technologies, such as microelectronics or artificial Intelligence, international cooperation in education, science and research pools resources, promotes innovation and helps to address global challenges more effectively. It is vitally important to safeguarding prosperity, competitiveness, future viability and sovereignty in Germany and Europe. In view of the rising pressure for innovation and transformation, global connections are more important than ever. The Federal Government is therefore cooperating with partner countries around the world, with a view to expanding global knowledge and strengthening a high-performing, future-ready, internationally focused education, science and innovation system.
One of the Federal Government’s key objectives is for European and international cooperation in research and innovation to be more focused on the priorities set out in the High-Tech Agenda Germany, in particular. This includes intensifying and diversifying bilateral and multilateral cooperation with strategically relevant partner countries and focus regions in order to support German high-tech players in accessing global knowledge flows, tapping into new markets and reducing dependencies.
Freedom of science, research and teaching is an immutable cornerstone of German policy and a top priority for the Federal Government. Against this backdrop, the Federal Government is constantly intensifying cooperation with partner countries that share our values. In the case of countries that are not or not fully committed to these principles, the opportunities and risks of potential cooperation are carefully weighed up.
In challenging geopolitical times, the scientific community’s openness to dialogue is needed time and again in order to keep lines of communication open. Science diplomacy is therefore an important tool in international science policy and in German and European foreign policy.
Scientific and research cooperation is focused on collaboration with the EU and European countries, North America, highly innovative partners in Asia and Oceania, strategic partners in Latin America, certain key countries of geopolitical importance in Africa and the Middle East, and international organisations and bodies (the OECD, UNESCO, the United Nations, the G7 and the G20).
At European level, priorities include the reorganisation of the European Research Area (ERA), the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon Europe), the future European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), the further development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the Erasmus+ programme. The Federal Government is actively involved in shaping all of these programmes. Germany’s scientific and intermediary organisations abroad are also important players – for example through their role in the development of research structures, knowledge transfer or joint projects.
More detailed information can be found in Chapter 12 of the Federal Report (in German).