Central, Eastern and South East Europe

Germany’s cooperation with Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries is strongly characterized by the enlargement of the EU and the aim of creating a European Education and Research Area. Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary as well as the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined the European Union in May 2004. Bulgaria and Romania became members in January 2007. Scientific and technological cooperation with the region furthermore focuses on integrating the Western Balkan Countries into the European Research Area – a priority of the EU.

The high quality of education and training (in particular in natural sciences and engineering sciences) in the region, high performance universities and research institutes, creativity and originality as well as geographical proximity provide ideal conditions for successful cooperation with mutual benefits. For many years now scientists and engineers from Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe have been attractive and reliable partners for German universities and research institutes. From the point of view of German companies, the countries in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe are an important growth market due to their dynamic economic development.
The current region-specific formats of bilateral cooperation are aimed at increasing the internationalisation and European focus of German institutions in education and research, at improving their overall competitiveness and supporting the progressive European integration of Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries.

Through the programme "International Cooperation on Education and Research - Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe Region" (regional call for proposals), the BMBF has been providing funds for development projects in the areas of applied research, development and education since 2004.
A maximum grant of €50K (for travel and accommodation expenses, events and material expenses) may be awarded for the preparation of especially complex projects. The IB has been commissioned with implementing the regional call for proposals. The preparation of both joint projects in national funding programmes and projects on thematic priorities of the EU research framework programme or other research-relevant EU programmes is supported under this scheme. Furthermore, the establishment of joint research structures (joint research bases) based on existing cooperation agreements can be developed and funded. Here the aim is for the project partners to establish an organisational structure in order to jointly continue developing their research potential and thus introduce more dynamic product and process innovations. Several research bases have been able to be successfully set up in cooperation with partners in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Through research and marketing activities, the strengths of Germany as an attractive location for research and development are promoted with support of science and research institutes, competence networks and research-intensive companies. Within the scope of the first two calls for proposals on research marketing in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe, 21 projects, each thematically focused on the future fields of the high-tech strategy of the federal government, were selected and funded by the BMBF and supervised by the IB. Participation in environment, ICT and innovation fairs in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria has furthermore contributed towards sustainable cooperation. Since 2006, this has been prepared and implemented by the IB for the BMBF.

  • Bulgaria

    International cooperation in education and research between Germany and Bulgaria has been shaped by the integration of Bulgaria into the European Research Area and the promotion of interregional research cooperation in and with South Eastern Europe. Cooperation is based on the agreement between the Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Bulgaria on cooperation in the field of scientific research and technological development of 25 February 1988.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/2512.php)

  • Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

    The Baltic Rim is booming and has an enormous development potential with the currently highest economic growth in Europe, and it is expected that the trading volume will increase approximately tenfold in the next 15 to 20 years. The growth of the region exceeds the average economic growth of the EU-States. Meanwhile – with the accession of the Baltic States and Poland to the EU on 1 May 2004 – this involves nine of ten countries of the Baltic Rim. Altogether 152 million people live in these nine of the currently 25 EU-States – this corresponds to 33 per cent of the EU citizens. They generate about one third of the EU’s national product.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/1019.php)

  • Poland

    Cooperation between Germany and Poland in education and research is well established in many areas, offering an excellent starting point for collaboration within the European context. With Poland's accession to the European Union, German-Polish relations in the area of education and research have obtained a new quality. At the same time, however, joint European goals in connection with the Bologna Process and the Lisbon Strategy pose new challenges.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/1022.php)

  • Romania

    Germany has become one of Romania’s most important partners. Since 2007, Germany has also become the number one trading partner in Romania, the country with the highest number of inhabitants in South Eastern Europe. Intense demand exists for German experts and technologies to help the country’s efforts to bring Romania’s infrastructure closer to the EU. In areas such as automotive engineering, control engineering and environmental engineering, a wide variety of partnerships exist. Cooperation agreements are also being created in the fields of medicine, energy and nanotechnology.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/1023.php)

  • Slovakia

    Since 2005, Slovakia has been focusing more strongly on research and development. The country’s current competitiveness strategy explicitly includes the goal of creating a knowledge-based economy. German-Slovak cooperation is based on the agreement on scientific and technological cooperation (STC) that was concluded in 1990 between Germany and what was then Czechoslovakia.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/1026.php)

  • Slovenia

    Slovenia has a well developed R&D structure which is successfully integrated in international collaborations. International cooperation is one of the priorities of the country’s research and education policy. Germany is an important cooperation partner for Slovenia. The collaboration between the two countries is based on a joint declaration on scientific and technological cooperation that was issued in 1993.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/1027.php)

  • Czech Republic

    The Czech Republic is an important partner of Germany in the area of international cooperation in education and research. This is true for both bilateral cooperation and for joint activities within the European Research Area. In its cooperation with the Czech Republic, an important role is played by information and communication technologies, nanotechnologies, biosciences, environmental research and sustainability research.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/1028.php)

  • Hungary

    Germany is one of Hungary’s most important international partners and by far its most important trading partner; German companies are the most important investors in the automotive industry and the ICT sector. In these two fields Hungary also offers an excellent supporting research landscape. Excellent starting points for research cooperation also exist in the following research areas: biotechnology, medicine, chemistry and pharmaceutics.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/1029.php)

  • Western Balkan Countries

    The integration of the Western Balkan Countries (WBC) in the European research area (ERA) and the promotion of interregional research cooperation as a contribution towards the Stabilisation and Association process (SAP) are of central importance for research policy, both for the region and for the European Union.
    [more] (URL: http://www.internationales-buero.de/en/2114.php)

Contact Persons

  • Dr. Jörn Sonnenburg

    • IB Executive Director : CIS-States, Europe, Middle East and Africa
    • Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
    • 53227 Bonn
    • Telefonnummer: +49 228 3821-1450/1451
    • Faxnummer: +49 228 3821-1444
    • E-Mail-Adresse: joern.sonnenburg@dlr.de

  • Dr. Hans-Peter Niller

    • Head of Unit: European States; Senior scientific officer: BeNeLux, Nordic Countries, Slovakia, Czech Republic
    • Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
    • 53227 Bonn
    • Telefonnummer: +49 228 3821-1468
    • Faxnummer: +49 228 3821-1444
    • E-Mail-Adresse: hans-peter.niller@dlr.de

  • Dr. Ralf Hagedorn

    • Senior scientific officer: Hungary, Romania
    • Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
    • 53227 Bonn
    • Telefonnummer: +49 228 3821-1492
    • Faxnummer: +49 228 3821-1444
    • E-Mail-Adresse: ralf.hagedorn@dlr.de

  • Ralf Hanatschek

    • Senior scientific officer: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Kroatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Maghreb
    • Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
    • 53227 Bonn
    • Telefonnummer: +49 228 3821-1482
    • Faxnummer: +49 228 3821-1444
    • E-Mail-Adresse: ralf.hanatschek@dlr.de

  • Dr. Michael Lange

    • Senior scientific officer: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland
    • Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
    • 53227 Bonn
    • Telefonnummer: +49 228 3821-1485
    • Faxnummer: +49 228 3821-1444
    • E-Mail-Adresse: michael.lange@dlr.de

  • Christian Schache

    • Senior scientific officier: Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia
    • Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
    • 53227 Bonn
    • Telefonnummer: +49 228 3821-1465
    • Faxnummer: +49 228 3821-1444
    • E-Mail-Adresse: christian.schache@dlr.de