Regular Exchanges Strengthen Cooperation

The Federal Research Ministry has been supporting cooperation between German and Japanese scientists for 50 years. Bilateral cooperation between Japan and Germany is based on an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in science and technology from 1974. The agreement was signed by the German Federal Research Ministry and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The funding organization Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), which is subordinate to MEXT, is also important for the cooperation. The two ministries hold regular meetings which are attended by German and Japanese research, funding and intermediary organizations, with the aim of determining the orientation of cooperation and defining joint activities.

Many German Research Players Active in Japan

A large number of German research and funding organizations have their own offices in Japan. Fraunhofer established its 'Fraunhofer Representative Office Japan' in 2001 in order to support the establishment of strategic partnerships with excellent research institutions and promote researcher exchanges on the ground. The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) has acted as an intermediary organization with an office in Tokyo since April 2009, where it works in close cooperation with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the JST. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) also considers there to be great potential for cooperation with Japanese research institutions and has operated an office in Tokyo since late February 2013. The Max Planck Society (MPG) currently has three Max Planck Centres in the Tokyo area.

German Innovation Award enjoys an excellent reputation

Initiated by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (DIHKJ) in 2008, the German Innovation Award has been presented annually since 2010 to young Japanese scientists by twelve technology-oriented German companies and the DIHKJ under the patronage of the German Research Minister. The prize is intended to promote networks and partnerships with Japanese research institutes and universities in the long term. German companies hope that this will lead to a more intensive exchange with Japanese science, and to increased cooperation in the field of research and development.

Young scientists and engineers are honoured for outstanding achievements in application-oriented research in the fields of environmental protection, energy, security, health, automotive, materials, and production technologies. In addition to prize money totalling the equivalent of 19,000 euros, the four award winners receive scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a research stay of up to two months in Germany.

Funding for international projects

The Federal Research Ministry provides funding for networking activities, structural measures, research projects and 2+2 projects. In 2017 and 2019, the Federal Research Ministry, together with the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), published two funding calls on the topic of Optics and Photonics, followed by a further call on the topic of Sustainable Hydrogen Technology in 2019. Numerous collaborative projects are being funded as a result. Other key areas of collaboration are Battery Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Future Communication Technologies. 

In the funding measure "Internationalization of Leading-Edge Clusters, Forward-Looking Projects and Comparable Networks", six clusters were selected which cooperate with Japan. Japan is showing great interest in the internationalization of clusters. The measure supports the development of internationalization schemes and their implementation in research and development projects on an equal footing with global partners, providing up to four million euros each over a period of up to five years.

Young Scientists In Dialogue

The Junior Experts Exchange Programme is another integral element of Japanese-German cooperation. Every year since 1998, four to eight young German and Japanese natural scientists from research institutes or corporate research departments have been invited to spend several days on a study visit in the other country. A different field of research is chosen as the guiding theme of the study visit every year.

The Japanese Foreign Office and the German Federal Research Ministry use the programme to foster bilateral research and science dialogue. The study trips involve visits to funding and research organizations, authorities and businesses, talks with researchers, and networking to establish contacts for future cooperation.