North America has a unique education and research landscape. From climate research to artificial intelligence, US and Canadian researchers at renowned universities and research institutions are continually making groundbreaking discoveries in all fields.

To ensure that the cooperation remains so close, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the partner ministries and organisations from the USA and Canada meet every two years to discuss further cooperation. All German research and funding organisations, as well as universities and research-based companies, are involved in the close cooperation with the USA and Canada. At the same time, the BMBF meets regularly with the partner ministries and organisations from both countries to discuss scientific and technological cooperation.

The relevant intergovernmental agreement with Canada was signed in 1971, the agreement with the USA in 2010.

In Germany, we benefit in the following fields in particular:

USA: Joint progress in health research

One of the main fields of cooperation with the USA is computational neuroscience. The transnational Research Funding Initiative was launched in 2009 and is funded jointly by the BMBF and the US funding organization, the National Science Foundation (NSF). The aim of this measure is to achieve joint progress in the methodological study and understanding of complex neuroscientific issues. The international and interdisciplinary approach to complex neuroscientific issues can create better prevention and treatment strategies.

USA: Strengthening computer science through international research cooperation – PhD/PostDoc research internships at ICSI Berkeley

The establishment of the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) in Berkeley in 1986, by the University of California, Berkeley and the German National Research Centre for Computer Science (Gesellschaft für Mathematik und Datenverarbeitung), was a major milestone in the long, high-impact partnership between Germany and the USA.

Ever since, the BMBF has been funding research internships for young German scientists at ICSI.

Since it was founded, ICSI has developed to become a leading research institute in the area of artificial intelligence. Thanks to its links to UC Berkeley and its strong networks with leading companies in the Bay Area, ICSI also offers excellent working conditions for basic research and application-oriented projects.

Canada: New impetus for cooperation on green hydrogen, AI and battery research

The BMBF has been working together with the Canadian National Research Council (NRC) regularly since 2018. We fund cooperation between key stakeholders in academia and science in both countries in so-called "2+3" funding measures. Every funded project comprises at least two German and three Canadian partners. These may include universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, research institutes, non-university research institutions or enterprises.

We have also provided funding for bilateral research projects in the areas of Industrie 4.0, artificial intelligence and green hydrogen. In April 2024, the BMBF also began funding research projects on batteries and battery materials.

Editorial deadline for this text: 01.11.2024