Global relationships: Germany
Germany and New Zealand’s science links are strong and growing stronger, despite the differences in size, language and geography between in the two countries.
Germany is a respected research powerhouse, not only within Europe but throughout the world. It undertakes 10% of the world’s research, two thirds of which is funded by the private sector.
New Zealand-Germany RS&T links
New Zealand and Germany signed a bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation (STC) Agreement in 1977 to recognise the mutual basis for beneficial collaboration. The New Zealand Government established a part-time Co-ordinator role and a travel grant programme to support the Agreement.
The Co-ordinators
Dr Frank Bruhn, (Frank.Bruhn@morst.govt.nz) is New Zealand's part-time co-ordinator for this Agreement. Dr Bruhn is General Manager and Director of GNS Science’s National Isotope Centre. He will ensure that New Zealand gains full benefit from the STC Agreement by:
- maximising opportunities for New Zealand researchers and technology-based businesses to collaborate with their German counterparts;
- establishing and enhancing key relationships within the New Zealand and German RS&T and innovation sectors;
- informing MoRST of all significant developments within the German RS&T system.
Dr Bruhn visits to Germany once or twice per year to meet with German Science policy and funding organisations, and with the scientists and organisations participating in bilateral projects.
Gerold Heinrichs of the International Bureau the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) is the German Co-ordinator.
STC Agreement Review
Over the 30 years after its signing, there has been no formal Government-level review of the STC Agreement or its activities. In 2006 the respective implementing agencies agreed to review initiatives arising from the Agreement. These agencies are the German Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry for Education and Research – BMBF) and the New Zealand Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MoRST). The reviewers were also responsible for identifying steps that could be taken to enhance the bilateral RS&T relationship.
The Review team gathered data on bilateral linkages from a wide range of sources and also undertook four case studies. The review considered:
- How the activities have contributed to STC Agreement objectives;
- The benefits arising from the relationship;
- How the relationship developed over time;
- The interventions, initiatives, key activities that contributed to the success of the relationship; and
- What barriers to a successful relationship arose, and how these were overcome.
The Review found the depth and breadth of research linkages between the two countries is quite remarkable. Significant bilateral collaborations occur across almost all research fields.
The Review also found that support mechanisms available to researchers through the Agreement do have positive outcomes for research. Although the main factor in establishing and maintaining productive research collaborations is the personal and professional compatibility of the leading researchers involved in a project, the best research outcomes come from when those support mechanisms were used to augment and develop the relationship.
The Executive Summary of the STC Agreement Review can be seen here. Copies of the full (60 page) Review are available on request from Rick Petersen.
New Zealand-Germany initiatives
On 28 February 2007 Steve Maharey, New Zealand’s Minister for RS&T, and Dr Annette Schavan, the German Federal Minister for Research and Education agreed that these initiatives arising from the STC Agreement Review would be implemented:
- Better dissemination of information: To allow closer collaboration, links to funding agencies and research organisations will be established on the respective Ministry websites;
- Better use of EU-Programmes: The BMBF and MoRST Coordinators for the relationship will promote and support bilateral collaboration through the EU ‘s (Research) Framework Programme (FP7).
- Priority Areas: Six research areas of particular importance to both Germany and New Zealand have been identified for support through Agreement-related initiatives and activities. The fields in which bilateral research collaboration will be enhanced are: Health; Food/Agriculture/Biotechnology; Information and Communication Technologies (ICT); Environment (especially climate change), Marine; and Antarctic research.
- Better coordination of funding: Information provided to applicants regarding the New Zealand and German travel grant programmes will be made consistent. Applicants will be encouraged, where possible, to simultaneously make applications in both Germany and New Zealand. Funding agencies’ assessment processes will be coordinated. Extra weighting will be given to applications in priority areas in assessment of applications under the STC Agreement-related bilateral travel programmes. MoRST and New Zealand RS&T Funding and Investment Agents will also be encouraged to ‘tune their mainstream instruments’ towards European programmes which complement EU Framework research topic priorities where these match with New Zealand’s own priorities and to consider establishing peer reviewer exchange mechanisms with German counterpart agencies.
- Enhancing exchanges: Greater support will be provided for summer schools and workshops in priority research areas.
- Policy Linkages: MoRST and BMBF will enhance policy linkages and identify bilateral opportunities at a ‘system level’ through reciprocal staff secondments.
Recently MoRST has signed and supported activities through MOUs with the DFG (Germany's leading university research funder) and the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation, the world-leading international researcher exchange and development organisation.
In 2004 MoRST established a New Zealand scheme (the Julius von Haast Awards), which counterparts the AvH Fellowship programmes. The scheme is administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) on MoRST 's behalf. Through the scheme three prominent German researchers are supported to spend 12 weeks in New Zealand over the three year term of each Fellowship to work with New Zealand researchers.
The New Zealand Embassy in Berlin has committed significant staff resources to supporting the relationship and the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise office in Hamburg. They also have a significant interest in improving innovation and technology-based commercial relationships. MoRST and Dr Bruhn also work closely with the German Embassy which actively supports RS&T links.
Future visits to Germany by the MoRST co-ordinator will focus on strengthening links in the technology and industrial application fields, and on boosting the German profile of New Zealand’s Centres of Research Excellence.
MoRST also works with the EU Science Counsellor and the New Zealand-Germany co-ordinator, and the Embassies in Berlin and Wellington to encourage key German visitors.
For more information
Check our international funding opportunities page for information about funding and collaboration opportunities.
More information on New Zealand-Germany RS&T links and opportunities can be found on the RSNZ ’s Co-Lab website or obtained from Dr Bruhn or our desk officer for Germany Rick Petersen.