News
09/06/2023

Austrian delegation visits Berlin: Austria and Germany forge strong ties in sustainable technologies

A delegation from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action visited Berlin this week to discuss current funding priorities in digital technologies and explore possibilities for future cooperation.

At the Digital Technologies Forum - In addition to engaging discussions, the event also highlighted ongoing research projects
At the Digital Technologies Forum - In addition to engaging discussions, the event also highlighted ongoing research projects
© FDT
At the Digital Technologies Forum - In addition to engaging discussions, the event also highlighted ongoing research projects

On 6 and 7 June, representatives from the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) visited Berlin. The primary objective of this meeting was to emphasize the critical role of sustainability in the development of digital technologies. Through discussions with experts from the business and research sectors in both countries, as well as bilateral talks between the ministries, it became evident that sustainability has become a crucial aspect of technological innovations. It will continue to play a central role in future funding programs.

There was a unanimous agreement among the participants that the cooperation between Austria and Germany is an exceptionally fertile ground for innovation and should be nurtured further. Nu-merous German-Austrian cooperation projects are already receiving funding, including the GAIA-X lead project "EuProGiant," which involves 16 partners from both countries. The aim of this project is to establish a digitally interconnected, cross-location production ecosystem. Another noteworthy example is the "champI4.0ns" project, which aims to develop an intelligent and autonomous data usage system for traceability, planning, control, and quality assurance in the timber industry. The BMWK and the BMK have been jointly funding such flagship R&D projects since 2019.

The two-day meeting sought to facilitate an exchange of ideas regarding current funding priorities in Germany and Austria, the potential of various key technologies, and opportunities for future cooperation. As part of the delegation's visit, they also toured the new premises of the Forum Digitale Technologien, where successful projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action (BMWK), the BMK, and bilateral funding programs were showcased. During a panel discussion, participants exchanged ideas on how to improve the translation of project results into practical applications.

Further Information
Overview of the bilateral cooperation activities with Austria
EuProGigant project webpage
champI4.0ns project webpage