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 facilitate and encourage bilateral “scientific and technological cooperation for peaceful purposes between civilian agencies and organisations in the public and private sectors”. 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, the Director of GNS Science’s National Isotope Centre is New Zealand's part-time co-ordinator for this Agreement. His role is 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.
Dr Hans-Jörg Stähle of the International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) is the German Co-ordinator.
New Zealand-Germany initiatives
Hon Steve Maharey, New Zealand’s former Minister for RS&T, and Dr Annette Schavan, the German Federal Minister for Research and Education, agreed in February 2007 that a suite of initiatives arising from the STC Agreement Review (see below) would be implemented. Among these are:
- Better use of EU-Programmes: The BMBF and MoRST Coordinators for the relationship 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: MoRST co-funds, with BMBF and BMELV (the German Federal Agriculture Ministry) a reciprocal travel grant scheme. Applicants simultaneously make applications in both Germany and New Zealand (to the RSNZ, which administers the scheme for MoRST).
- Enhancing exchanges: Dr Bruhn works with the DFG to support workshops in priority research areas.
- Policy Linkages: MoRST and BMBF have enhanced policy linkages and identify bilateral opportunities at a ‘system level’ through reciprocal staff secondments.
More information on opportunities
Check the RSNZ ’s 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 Rick Petersen, MoRST's desk officer for Germany.
Government activities to support New Zealand – Germany research links
MoRST has signed Memoranda of Understanding 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. Small funding programmes have been established to support these MOUs
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 also has a significant interest in improving innovation and technology-based commercial relationships. MoRST and Dr Bruhn also work closely with the Wellington-based 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 research capability.
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.
STC Agreement Review
In 2006 the respective implementing agencies – BMBF and MoRST - agreed to review initiatives arising from the STC Agreement. 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 or the full (60 page) version are available on request from Rick Petersen.