GERMAN HOUSE FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION TOURS INDIA

“DWIH New Delhi Excellence on Tour 2013!”

A multi-city road show to further strengthen Indo-German research collaboration

In October 2012, The German Government has set up a German House for Research and Innovation in New Delhi (in German: Deutsches Wissenschafts- und Innovationshaus, DWIH New Delhi) - a ‘one-stop shop’ for interested students, researchers and potential partner institutions, and disseminate information about higher education in Germany, research landscape and funding sources.

From 26 April onwards, the DWIH New Delhi will start its “Excellence on Tour 2013” across India: “The DWIH New Delhi – Excellence on Tour 2013!” is a unique multi-city road show which offers an interactive platform to academicians, researchers and students from both the countries. It will start in Hyderabad from Friday, 26^th April through Friday, 3^rd May, 2013, at Muffakham Jah College of Engineering & Technology in Banjara Hills. The event is being supported by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the Goethe-Zentrum and the Sultan-ul-Uloom Education Society.

Speaking on the importance of this tour, the German Ambassador to India Michael Steiner said, “Indo-German cooperation in science and technology is a defining pillar of our bilateral relationship. It will also be an important topic at the upcoming Intergovernmental consultations between Germany and India headed by Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Singh on 11 April in Berlin.  Germany is a hub for research and innovation. We want to reach out to young bright Indian minds - in Delhi, but also beyond the nation’s capital. The “DWIH New Delhi – Excellence on Tour 2013!” is a gateway to Germany: it stands for first-hand information and experience on studying and doing research – from Munich to Hamburg, from Heidelberg to Berlin. Don’t miss it. “

India and Germany maintain a highly dynamic academic exchange and a vast array of bilateral research projects to jointly develop the technologies of the future. The new German House for Research and Innovation will be a scientific hub for young talents and a landmark for innovation which benefits India as well as Germany.  Research collaboration has always been a major cornerstone of the bilateral relations between India and Germany. The multi city “Excellence on Tour”, jointly planned by German government and DWIH New Delhi is evidence of Germany’s commitment to creating more synergy and joint initiatives with Indian partner organizations and universities for enhancing the academic and research cooperation between the two countries.

The “DWIH New Delhi - Excellence on Tour” will travel in a multi-functional pavilion created by internationally renowned installation artist, Markus Heinsdorff, which was the highlight of the recently concluded multi city Indo-German Urban Mela. The design of the pavilion combines India’s rich textile legacy with state of the art technology inspired by precious gems and stones together with traditional Indian shapes and patterns.

Commenting on this initiative, Dr. Torsten Fischer, Director, German Research Foundation (DFG), the official coordinator of DWIH New Delhi says, “The German academic, research and research funding organisations are proud on what has been achieved in collaboration with Indian partner institutions, in particular in the past months after the DWIH Inauguration. New collaborative Indo-German projects in all fields of research are being prepared and the number of students mutually exchanged between both the countries is continuously increasing”.

Planned as a three city event, the Tour will also travel to Ahmedabad and Kolkata later this year. The sessions will consist of exhibitions, workshops, lectures, symposiums, quizzes and cultural events that will illustrate the productivity of Indo-German research collaboration to the audience. The event will also offer opportunities to win several prizes. One of the highlights of the event will be the Indo-German Science Slam, a rather new way to bring together passionate researchers on stage, competing for the hearts of a curious audience in a performance of a maximum of ten minutes. The Science Slam will be open to students registered for a B.A., B.Sc., M.A., M.Sc. or Ph.D. in a recognized Indian University or are Post-docs (up to 6 years of completion of Ph.D.) from all fields of Science, Humanities and Social Sciences.

The German House for Research and Innovation in New Delhi (DWIH New Delhi) was inaugurated on 27^th October last year as the fifth focal point for enhanced German academic and research cooperation, along with São Paolo (Brazil), Moscow (Russia), New York (USA) and Tokyo (Japan). DWIH New Delhi is one of the major pillars of the “Research and Academic Relations Initiative”, and is aimed at creating more synergy and joint initiatives with Indian partner organizations and universities for enhancing the academic and research cooperation between the two countries.

For more details, please contact:

Ruchika Christ

Public Relations

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft  (DFG)

German Research Foundation

Tel. +91.49224905, Ruchika.Christ@dfg.de

Puneet Khunger

Gutenberg Communications

Tel: +91.9810191409, puneet@gutenbergpr.com