The Way Forward: BMBF-FASIE conference showcases success stories and opportunities

Be it a nanoparticle, fortified foods or anti-bodies – these and other issues have equal relevance for Germany and Russia. As a result, the two countries collaborate in various research partnerships. How this collaboration is structured and which funding mechanisms are relevant were presented at the end of October in Berlin.

Impressions of the conference

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Russian Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) organised a conference entitled "The Way Forward: German-Russian Cooperation between Research Organisations and Innovative SMEs".

The conference provided the numerous participants with an overview of the collaboration so far, the prospects for 2014 as well as information about projects at European level and a podium discussion on the opportunities created by German-Russian cooperation.

In addition to representatives of the BMBF and FASIE, conference guests in the Leibniz Auditorium on Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin also included the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the Association of Innovative Regions of Russia as well as various universities and institutes of both countries.

Group picture Fasie Conference
BMBF FASIE conference, source: DLR Project Management Agency (Photos by Ingo Heine)

On the next day of the conference, a kick-off workshop was held on "German-Russian collaboration in applied, industrial, innovative research and development" for 15 new joint projects from the fields of medicine, nanotechnology, optical technologies and environmental research. Since 2008, 73 projects have received total funding of EUR 12 million from Germany and Russia within this framework. The conference was organised by the International Bureau.