STSforum, Funding Agency Presidents' Meeting and event on “Converting the Chemical Industry into a Circular Economy”

(25.10.23) At the 20th edition of the ‘Science and Technology in Society forum’ in Kyoto, DFG Secretary General Dr. Heide Ahrens and DFG Vice President Professor Dr. Peter Seeberger met with policy makers, executives and researchers from over 120 countries.

Every October, the forum provides an opportunity to exchange views and information on pressing global issues and solutions from science and technology. This year, DFG Vice President Seeberger joined a session on “Science and Technology as a Driver for Development”.

The heads of 60 global funding agencies were invited to a ‘Funding Agency Presidents' Meeting’ (FAPM), organised by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the DFG during the STSforum. The 13th FAPM addressed the role of funding agencies in the development and mobility of talent. Secretary General Ahrens engaged in discussions on “the role of funding agencies in the development and mobility of talent in the context of emerging technology areas such as AI.”

The DFG delegation with Secretary General Ahrens and Vice President Seeberger as well as Dr. Jörg Schneider and Ingrid Krüßmann of the International Affairs department of the DFG used the occasion to exchange information on opportunities for joint activities and funding with the Japanese partner agencies Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).

The delegation travelled on to Tokyo for an event on “Converting the Chemical Industry into a Circular Economy”, which took place on 3 October in Roppongi. Experts from research and industry introduced new approaches in chemistry for a sustainable transition of key industry sectors.

DFG Vice President Prof. Dr. Peter H. Seeberger pointed out that “the chemical industry is essential for basically every other industry” and emphasised the high-impact potential of innovations in the field of chemistry. He introduced the Center for the Transformation of Chemistry (CTC) in Saxony. The CTC was selected in September 2022 as one out of two winning concepts in the competition “Science Creating Prospects for the Region!” organised by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Dr. Carola Richter of BASF emphasised the importance of research and science to discover innovative approaches for applications in the industry.

Prof. Dr. Zhaomin Hou of RIKEN introduced the potential for efficient resource circulation being investigated at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS).

The discussions showed that it is imperative for every sector and player to put in effort to manage the fundamental shift of a sustainable transformation.

In their remarks, DFG Secretary General Dr. Heide Ahrens, Marcus Schürmann of AHK Japan and Axel Karpenstein of DAAD Tokyo / DWIH Tokyo encouraged researchers, innovators and stakeholders to connect. Dr. Heide Ahrens reiterated that the DFG is “strongly committed to supporting the collaboration between German researchers and Japanese partners.”

The very lively discussions and networking were evidence of the need for opportunities to form new contacts and start cooperations.

The event was organised by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), the German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo), and the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (AHK Japan), with the support of RIKEN and the Chemical Society of Japan.

Furter Information:

• Science and Technology in Society forum
• Funding Agency Presidents' Meeting
• Converting the Chemical Industry into a Circular Economy
• Center for the Transformation of Chemistry (CTC)
• Converting the Chemical Industry into a Circular Economy