Germany and Japan intensify cooperation in innovative key areas of science and economics

In the context of the “German year in Japan 2005/06” the International Office of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) grants funds to twelve German Networks of Competence to support the initiation of cooperation between Germany and Japan in top research. The aim is to promote application-oriented technology cooperation and the opening up of new markets. The funds were granted for the first time in 2004.

The German Networks of Competence of the initiative kompetenznetze.de meet their Japanese counterparts of the Knowlegde Cluster Initiative. The eighteen Japanese knowledge clusters are annually funded with approximately 3.9 million € by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The clusters of the four areas life sciences, information and communication, environmental technology and nanotechnology/ materials science/ manufacturing technologies are making great efforts at increasing international networking.

In the coming months, the following German Networks of Competence, which are all members of kompetenznetze.de and were selected in the course of a competition, will begin to contact Japanese knowledge clusters:

Field of innovation: Life Science

• BioInstruments Jena
• BioTech – Region Munich (two institutions)
• Competence Network Dementia
• Cardiovascular Diseases in the National Genomics Research Network (NGFN)
• Competence Network HIV/AIDS Bochum
• Competence Center PathoGenoMik
• TELTRA - Competence Center for Telematic Traumatology

Field of innovation: Nanotechnology/ Materials science/ Manufacturing technologies

• OpTech-Net e.V. - Network for Optical and Optoelectronic Technologies and Systems
• PhotonAix e. V. - Competence Network for Optical Technologies and Systems in Aachen
• PROduction TEChnology Aachen
• UFS - Nanotechnology Center of Competence "Ultrathin Functional Films Saxony"

For further information please contact:
Dr. Birgit Verworn
Management office kompetenznetze.de
at the VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH
Division for Basic Issues of Research, Technology and Innovation
Graf-Recke-Strasse 84
D-40239 Düsseldorf
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)211/6214-594
Fax: +49 (0)211/6214-168
E-mail: verworn@vdi.de

Dr. Nicole Zingsheim
International Office of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
at the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Königswinterer Strasse 522-524
D-52237 Bonn
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)228/4492-270
Fax: +49 (0)228/4492-400
E-mail: nicole.zingsheim@dlr.de