Bilateral science and research cooperation with countries in this region concentrates mainly on Israel, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa. In addition there are STC agreements with Tunisia and Morocco; due to its country-specific prioritisations however the BMBF is currently only funding a small number of bilateral research projects with these two countries. For cooperation in the Mediterranean, the “EU Mediterranean Partnership” and the Barcelona Process are becoming increasingly important.
The German-Israeli research cooperation between the BMBF and the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) is based on an agreement concluded in 1973. Since the year 2000, funding for collaborative German-Israeli projects between companies and research institutions has concentrated on application- and industry-oriented research with the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labour (MOITAL). The IB serves as a contact point for interested scientists with regard to both of these predominantly science- and technology-oriented strands of collaboration.
The German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology 2008, which was overseen by the IB, provided important new impulses for this collaboration: it was expanded to add the field of civil security research; funding for the humanities and for young researchers was also intensified (through, among other things, the ARCHES (Award For Research Cooperation and Highest Excellence in Science) prize and the founding of the Martin Buber Society of Fellows in the Humanities).
Intensified relations with Egypt in education and research are a result of the “German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology 2007” that was jointly prepared and carried out. One important outcome was a political agreement between the two ministries on implementing a joint research fund, which is managed by the IB on the German side.
Jordan is another important Arabic partner country for the BMBF.
In research, collaboration is currently concentrated mainly on the multilateral cooperation project SESAME (Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East)1 under the auspices of UNESCO. The IB supports the mobility of German scientists participating actively in SESAME user meetings.
Collaboration in the field of education is an important aspect of the G8-BMENA Process2.
In 2007, Germany organised the third G8-BMENA Ministerial Meeting on Education at the Petersberg in Bonn (21/22 November) (http://www.g8-bmena-education.de/). The IB continues to maintain the website3 set up for the conference and links to follow-up activities in the region. As a further highlight, a workshop on “Higher Education” with participants from the region is planned for November 2009 in Berlin; the IB has a leading role in preparing the content and organisation of this workshop in close collaboration with the BMBF.
South Africa is one of the priority countries of the BMBF for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (since 1996) worldwide, and the most important cooperation partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to topics relating to environmental research and sustainability (such as water, energy, biodiversity), the STC, which is overseen by the IB, also focuses on technological developments. Particular support is provided for the promotion of young researchers and to develop capacities in and at South African universities.
Numerous projects have arisen from this cooperation, particularly in the fields of environment and sustainability. Among others are to name the two large joint projects BIOTA and GLOWA, into which seven other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were involved, as well.
In 2010, the IB significantly supported the BMBF preparing the Binational Commission under the chairmanship of the foreign minister. The IB also provided support in preparing the reciprocal visits of Minister Mangena in Germany 2007 and Minister Schavan in South Africa and Namibia in 2008.
At a political level, the adoption of a joint “EU-Africa Strategy” (Lisbon, December 2009), in which science and research have a prominent place (8th Partnership: Science, Information Society and Space) was of great significance. It opens up new possibilities for collaboration for both the EU and its member states: the aim is for the donor-recipient relationship to shift towards an equal cooperation basis. The BMBF is involved as an active partner in the “Implementation Team” for the 8th Partnership, and has among other things assumed a leading role in initiating a joint European-African research policy dialogue. The IB supports the BMBF in planning and implementing its activities in this forum.
In a European context, the IB is a partner in the EU-funded CAAST-Net project (http://www.caast-net.org/)
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¹ Mit SESAME soll ein bedeutendes multidisziplinäres Kompetenzzentrum zur Stärkung der physikalischen Grundlagenforschung sowie zu Ausbau u. Verbreitung angewandter Forschung auf hohem Niveau mit weitreichenden Forschungs- und Qualifizierungsmöglichkeiten für Wissenschaftler/innen und Spitzenforscher/innen in der gesamten Region geschaffen werden.
² Die Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (BMENA) ist eine auf Initiative der Vereinigten Staaten 2004 ins Leben gerufene partnerschaftliche Kooperation zwischen den G-8 Staaten und 22 Ländern des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens (arabische Staaten, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Türkei). Im Rahmen gemeinschaftlicher Projekte soll so die wirtschaftliche, politische und gesellschaftliche Entwicklung dieses Großraums vorangetrieben werden.
³ http://www.g8-bmena-education.de/
[PDF - 1.75 MB]
Cooperation in Science and Technology, Education and Research (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/_media/Germay_-_Israel_GB_final_BF.pdf)
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(URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/_media/GEY_web_1106.pdf)
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