The action-packed days in New Delhi with Dr Harms, Dy. Secretary General, DAAD© DAAD ASND

In meetings with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Council of Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Ministry of Education the status and the development of co-funded exchange programs was discussed. During the meeting at CSIR both parties exchanged the CSIR–DAAD Agreement of Cooperation which will enable the bilateral exchange of up to 15 scientists annually from both countries. The program is co-funded by CSIR and DAAD.

During visits at the Principle Scientific Advisors Office to India and Atal Innovation Mission the focus of the discussion was on enhancing the cooperation in the field of science-based entrepreneurship and start-ups as well as on possibilities to connect research and knowledge clusters.

One highlight was the exchange of cooperation agreements between the DAAD and 22 IITs on 11 Oct 2023 in the German Embassy. The cooperation agreements will facilitate and enable based on co-funding the exchange of faculty and academicians between the IITs and their German partner institutions. During the meeting the participants shared insights into their cooperation with German higher education institutions and discussed how to take the cooperation between India and Germany forward.

Cooperation in the field of research and innovation was discussed during a roundtable organised by the DWIH on 10 Oct 2023. Representatives from DST, BIRAC, CSIR, PSA Office, INSA, IGSTC the German Embassy, Max Weber Forum, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, DFG, DAAD and the DWIH assessed the current state of the cooperation, discussed institutional strategies, thematic areas of cooperation and structural challenges.

During the several meetings and roundtables, it became clear, that the Indo-German cooperation in higher education and research stands on a sound fundament with long lasting and trustful partnerships. One of the current challenges is to raise the awareness of the opportunities for cooperation with India and Germany. While numerous partnerships and funding programmes exist for bilateral projects in the field of higher education and research, the cooperation in the field of technology transfer and innovation can be consequentially further intensified.