acatech strengthens international cooperation in Japan

Kyoto, 06 October 2024

acatech President Jan Wörner, acatech member and Chairman of the MÜNCHNER KREIS Michael Dowling and acatech member Dieter Kranzlmüller also actively participated in the Science and Technology in Society forum in 2024. Additionally, acatech used the platform to sign a letter of intent for the Japanese-German Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (JAGFOE), which is scheduled to take place in Japan in November 2025.   

The Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum 2024 offered representatives from science, business and politics the opportunity to network internationally. The forum, initiated by former Japanese Minister of Economy and Finance Koji Omi, took place from 6-8 October 2024 in Kyoto, Japan. Around 1000 personalities from over 80 countries, regions and organisations took part in the forum.

In the session “Countering Disinformation in the Digital Age“, Michael Dowling shed light on how technology and education can be used to combat disinformation. He emphasised that artificial intelligence is crucial, but that comprehensive media literacy and a globally coordinated approach are needed to combat misinformation, especially in the context of deep fakes.

acatech member Dieter Kranzlmüller, Chairman of the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre and Professor at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, spoke in the “Quantum Science and Technology”   session about the integration of quantum computing from the perspective of computer science education and research. He emphasised how important it is to combine traditional computing with quantum computing. International cooperation, specialist training and the social and ecological impact of quantum technology were discussed.

Presidents of various academies of science and engineering discussed the role of artificial intelligence in engineering education at the 13th Meeting of Presidents. In his presentation, Jan Wörner presented acatech’s latest findings and emphasised the importance of integrating AI not just as a tool, but as a core component of engineering education. The discourse showed that international exchange in the education of engineers is crucial in order to harmonise ethical issues and technological developments.

The Engineering Academy of Japan, acatech, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Volkswagen Foundation and the DAAD Tokyo Office declared their joint intention to organise a Japanese-German Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (JAGFOE) in Japan from 26 to 28 November 2025 during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the STS forum. The symposium by young professionals for young professionals is intended to be a place of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral exchange in which all participants will play an active role.