Science, research and universities
Academic exchanges
Academic relations between Germany and the wider world are also for the Federal Foreign Office an important focus. It is of course one of the main priorities of the Directorate-General for Culture and Communication, which with the aid of various instruments as well as considerable funds works hard to ensure Germany is well placed internationally to compete for the best brains. All these activities – collectively known as "research and academic relations policy" – are carried out in line with the Federal Government's strategy to internationalize higher education and research in Germany and in agreement with other ministries.
Research and academic relations initiative 2009
The Federal Foreign Office's research and academic relations initiative promotes academic and scientific exchange between Germany and the world.
Particularly in a globalized knowledge-based society in which education and know-how are universally available and instantly accessible, international networking is essential if Germany is to remain at the cutting edge of research and technological progress, and is to grow and prosper.
The Foreign Office's research and academic relations policy is geared to foreign policy goals and strategic guidelines. It is implemented around the world, taking into consideration regional and substantive priorities. It aims to promote excellence, but without sacrificing breadth to depth. The objective is to raise Germany's international profile as a centre of learning and research and in the process to promote close cooperation with partners both in Germany and abroad.
Scholarships and university partnerships
Scholarships and academic exchanges are still the main plank of our cultural relations agenda for higher education and research. Increasingly, however, we are also supporting partnerships between German universities and universities in other parts of the world, in Kazakhstan, for example, as well as Indonesia, China and Oman. In a number of cases this has resulted in new dual degree courses and even – a growing trend – the founding of new universities like the German University in Cairo or, most recently, the German-Turkish University in Istanbul.
There is growing emphasis on providing appropriate support for international students and academics studying or carrying out research at German universities. Programmes have also been set up to maintain contact with alumni once they return to their home countries.
Cultural organizations
The Federal Foreign Office does not undertake all these activities itself but delegates the task to independent organizations along with the relevant funds from the federal budget. Accordingly bodies such as the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation run their own scholarship and travel grant programmes etc. In this connection they cooperate closely with German embassies abroad and sometimes even develop comprehensive support programmes geared, for example, to rebuilding higher education in Afghanistan.
Marketing Germany as a location
For an advanced technology country such as ours promoting international cooperation is an essential component of any strategy for the future. This calls for intensive marketing of Germany as a higher education and research location. Through education fairs, targeted advisory services and a wide range of publications we seek to make Germany even better known to an international public.
Cooperation in Europe
The Federal Government is also actively involved in the so-called Bologna Process, which aims by 2010 to create a homogeneous European higher education area. In other ways, too, it shapes relations with neighbouring countries through projects such as the Franco-German University, which opens up new opportunities for intensive cooperation between the over 150 participating universities in both countries, or the Franco-German Forum, an annual event that provides information on career prospects and studying in the two countries. With the recent establishment of a German-Polish Research Foundation, a further foundation was laid for intensified cooperation with our eastern neighbour.
Last updated 28.11.2008