(09.01.20) In early December 2019, a bilateral Forum for University Research was held as part of the ongoing German-Russian Year of University Cooperation and Research 2018–2020. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) took part in panels and reported on the cooperation with its Russian partner organisations and on ongoing project funding, such as the Collaborative Research Centre/TRR 160 and the International Research Training Group RTG 1956.

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In early December, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the competent line ministries in the two countries organised a two-day German-Russian Forum for University Research halfway through the German-Russian Year of University Cooperation and Research 2018–2020. The event took place at the National University of Science and Technology (MISiS) in Moscow, which coordinated the event alongside the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH) in Moscow.

At the formal opening, the many guests were welcomed by speakers including Minister of State Michelle Müntefering (Federal Foreign Office) and Envoy Beate Grzeski (German Embassy), Russian Presidential Adviser Andrej Fursenko and Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education Grigorij Trubnikow. 300 representatives of German and Russian universities and scientific institutions attended the forum, including the President of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Jörg Hacker.

The DFG also travelled to Moscow with a delegation in order to participate in the panel discussions on the internationalisation of universities and joint research funding with its Russian partner organisations, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) and the Russian Science Foundation (RSF). The DFG has been issuing calls for proposals with both Russian funding organisations on a regular basis for years. On 3 December, the DFG announced its new call for proposals for the funding of bilateral research projects with the RFBR (deadline: 2 March 2020). Researchers from both countries had the opportunity to apply to the RSF for funding for the coming year until 9 December. The DFG funds around 300 project proposals with Russian involvement every year.

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A number of projects funded by the DFG were presented in a poster exhibition of more than 30 universities and research institutions, such as the German-Russian Collaborative Research Centre/TRR 160 from the field of physics, represented by co-spokespersons Juriy Kusrayev (Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg) and Evgeniy Zhukov (TU Dortmund). Dirk Kemper from the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow (RGGU) presented the International Research Training Group RTG 1956, which has been researching the topic “Cultural Transfer and ‘Cultural Identity’. German-Russian Contacts in the European Context” with the University of Freiburg for a long time.

The themed year of the foreign offices in both countries is expected to help raise awareness of the rich diversity of existing scientific relations and provide fresh impetus for the bilateral cooperation. The promising academic exchange and the numerous university partnerships form a solid basis for expanding bilateral relations between Germany and Russia. A large closing event is planned in 2020 to mark the end of the German-Russian Year.

Weitere Informationen:

Event halfway through the German-Russian Year of University Cooperation and Research 2018–2020 (in German and Russian):

• https://wissenschaftspartner.de/veranstaltungen/rossiysko-germanskiy-forum-vuzovskoy-nauki/