Germany gives high priority to research and innovation and is one of the top five countries in the world in terms of R&D investment. Germany is a federal state and research and innovation is funded at both federal and state level. Funding goes both to specific research institutions and innovation actors and to thematic research in areas such as health & nutrition, climate & energy, transport, and information and communication technologies. German research and innovation actors are also in close contact with industry and the private sector.
In general, Danish and German project partners complement each other well, and "bilaterally" there are many opportunities for greater and strategic cooperation in research and innovation under multilateral frameworks such as Horizon Europe and EUREKA. In the coming years, there are expected to be particularly good opportunities for cooperation in the field of green transition. Germany, for example, is well on the way to developing green technologies such as batteries, hydrogen and new fuels. Danish actors can therefore benefit from participating in concrete cooperation projects. In addition, opportunities for Danish-German cooperation continue in the new Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and in the 'Partnership for Innovative SMEs' under Eurostars, which is part of EUREKA.
In 2007, the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science (UFM) set up an Innovation Centre in Munich to strengthen access for companies, education and research institutions and innovation actors to leading research, innovation and business environments in the southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The local presence of the Innovation Centres allows Danish actors to access partners, knowledge and information on, among others, German research support opportunities locally and nationally and in relation to the wider DACH region consisting of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Danish companies and knowledge institutions that would like to work even more strategically with German partners under Horizon Europe and EUREKA can therefore contact the Innovation Centre in Munich. Through its presence in the ecosystem, the Centre can help Danish applicants gain the necessary overview and access to new networks through matchmaking activities. The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (UFS) also offers advice on the opportunities offered by the programmes for international cooperation in research and innovation.