International Cooperation

Theme image acatech International Cooperation

© Shutterstock/Liu zishan, acatech

acatech firmly believes that cross-border thinking and international cooperation are the decisive keys to deal with societal challenges, Germany’s future viability and competitiveness on an international scale.

As the voice for technical sciences both locally and globally, acatech maintains strategic partnerships with scientific and political institutions around the world, and is a member of both the European and the international association of technical science academies. acatech advises policymakers and the general society, provides guidance for policy issues regarding technologies, and coordinates the EU project SAPEA.

Cooperation between academies of technology in Europe and worldwide

acatech is involved in both the European (Euro-CASE) and the global (CAETS) association of academies of technology on global issues.

Euro-CASE – European Council of Academies of Applied Sciences, Technologies, and Engineering

Euro-CASE is an association of national independent academies of technology and science from 23 countries in Europe, of which acatech is a member. With a total of around 6,000 fellows, the organization forms a large interdisciplinary network of experts from science and industry.

Goals, Topics and Results

Goals

  • Development of solutions to global societal challenges
  • Formulation of evidence-based foundations for political decisions
  • Promotion of transatlantic cooperation

Topics

Results

Euro-CASE Annual Conference 2022, Belgium, 19 September 2022

The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (ARB) and the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB) hosted the Euro-CASE Annual Conference 2022 on the topic “From open-science to innovation – An Engineering challenge for Europe”.

In November 2021, the UK Royal Academy of Engineering hosted the Euro-CASE Annual Conference “Building Back Better”. The thematic focus was put on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving climate neutrality and resilience in Europe by 2050.

Additionally, Euro-CASE set up a working group that analyses the challenges for science and technology in the post-covid period.

The EU-US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, co-hosted annually with the US National Academy of Engineering to promote transatlantic collaboration, will be hosted by the Slovenian Academy of Engineering (IAS) in Lake Bled in October 2022. Young engineering scientists from the EU and the USA will discuss ways to make innovative technologies more useful for society in the future.

CAETS – International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences

CAETS is the global association of 31 national academies of technology and science, of which acatech has been a member since 2005. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wagner, acatech member, was elected to the Board of Directors of CAETS in October 2020 where he contributes to the strategic orientation of the association. With approx. 8,000 fellows, the organization forms a large interdisciplinary network of experts from science and industry.

Goals and Topics

Goals

  • Development of solutions to address global societal challenges
  • Formulation of evidence-based foundations for political decisions
  • Promotion of technology acceptance in the general society
  • Improving and modernizing engineering education and practice at the international level

Topics

  • Energy and Climate
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Sustainable Development

Publications, Annual Convocations and CAETS Communication Prizes

Publications

Annual Covocations

Once a year, the member academies of CAETS meet to discuss the latest developments and trends in the engineering sciences.

CAETS Annual Convocation 2022, France, Paris, September 2022

The CAETS annual event, organized by the French Academy of Engineering Sciences, was held Sept. 26-29, 2022, in Versailles, France. This year’s CAETS Symposium focused on the theme “Breakthrough Technologies for Healthcare.” More than 200 experts from academia and industry from 32 countries discussed trends and challenges on healthcare technologies. Innovative treatment methods for neurodegenerative diseases were presented and discussed, as were innovative methods in the fields of diagnosis, imaging, and early detection.

CAETS Symposium “Breakthrough Technologies for Healthcare”.

Christiane Woopen, acatech member and director of the Institute for Ethics at the University of Bonn, spoke about new developments in the application of digital technologies, including algorithmic systems, in her keynote address “Ethics by Design in Technologies for Health.” In this context, data form an important basis for the development of forward-looking personalized medicine, which is becoming particularly important among the younger generation. Christiane Woopen identifies the development of innovative technologies, the acquisition of technical skills and data security as challenges in this context. She also emphasizes that ethical aspects such as autonomy, privacy, justice and solidarity should be considered from the outset. This appeal was also taken up in the concluding session “Ethics and Societal Impacts for Technological Breakthroughs,” which Christiane Woopen coordinated together with Claudie Haignere. Participants discussed disruptive technologies, for neurosurgical therapy of epileptic diseases, but also new approaches to cure various diseases using stem cell-based technologies.

In his speech, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for the European Single Market, addressed the major challenges we are currently facing. In doing so, he emphasized the great importance of the technical sciences in the creation of groundbreaking innovations.

CAETS working group publishes report on reducing greenhouse gas emissions

acatech members Frank Behrendt and Ulrich Wagner are part of the CAETS Energy Working Group. Under the leadership of the French Academy, the 69 working group members have succeeded in generating a report that deals with already available and affordable technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The working group members are focusing on different sectors, such as food and agriculture, buildings and smart cities, oil and gas industry, chemical industry, cement industry, iron and steel industry, and ICT. The report, which is currently in syndication, will be published in the coming weeks.

The SDG working group, which includes acatech member Frank Behrendt, has established itself as a forum for cross-academy exchange. The aim of the group, consisting of representatives from 13 academies worldwide, is to discuss how engineers can contribute to achieving the SDGs. In the coming year, the group plans to continue promoting the exchange and also develop statements to be published at the World Engineer Day on March 4, 2023, he said.

In addition, the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group presented the results of a survey of member academies on diversity, and the British Academy presented a report on the contributions of engineering sciences in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic.

CAETS Communication Prizes

The CAETS Communication Award aims to promote science and technology communication and is awarded for technical success stories and innovations with high potential. Frank Behrend was a member of the review panel. The winner of the award was Jayanta Mukhopadhyay from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Together with his team, he has developed a software solution for telemedicine application in India

For more information on the CAETS communication prize entry requirements, assessment criteria and former winners, please refer to the submission guidelines.

 

Past Events

CAETS Annual Conference 2021, Argentina, Buenos Aires, 20-24 September 2021

The Argentine Academy of Engineering Sciences will host the CAETS Annual Conference in September 2021 on the topic of “The Future of Energy”. The thematic focus will be on renewable energy, but also on the future handling of classic resources.

acatech member Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wagner is a member of the Energy Committee, which will compile a report on decarbonization in 2021 under the leadership of the French Academy of Engineering.

In addition, acatech member Prof. Dr. Frank Behrendt is actively involved in the SDGs working group, which deals intensively with issues of sustainable development and climate change.

The CAETS Annual Meeting 2020 was held as a hybrid event in Seoul in October 2020. The theme was “Engineering a Better World: Smart Society.” Around 400 renowned experts presented and discussed topics such as Hyper-Connected Life, Sustainable Community and Climate Change. They identified country-specific challenges in the development of sustainable societies and developed innovative solutions to existing problems.

Around the same time, the meetings of the Energy Committee and the Diversity & Inclusion working group took place virtually. The CAETS Energy Report 2018, prepared under acatech’s leadership, was proofed and published in July 2020. Coordinated by the Korean Academy of Engineering Sciences. the CAETS Energy Report 2020 is currently being prepared and is expected to be published in the first half of 2021.

Under the leadership of the British and Australian Academies of Engineering Sciences, the CAETS Diversity & Inclusion Working Group is pursuing the goals of encouraging female scientists join the technical and engineering sciences, and bringing more gender and cultural diversity into the technical world. acatech is also involved in this working group and was able, for example, to recruit speakers to participate in the 21st Gender Summit.

SAPEA

SAPEA is funded by the European Union. The activities of associated partners Academia Europaea and Cardiff University are funded by UK Research & Innovation (grant number 10033786).

The five European academy networks Academia Europaea, ALLEA, Euro-CASE, FEAM and YASAS draw on over a hundred academies, young academies and learned societies in more than 40 countries across Europe. These networks form the SAPEA consortium which is part of the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism. Together with the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, SAPEA provides independent scientific advice to European Commissioners to support their decision- making. The EU project also works to raise awareness of scientific advice and evidence in policymaking, and to stimulate debate in Europe about these issues. The project has been coordinated by acatech since November 2016.

The latest SAPEA report “Strategic crisis management in the EU” was published in November 2022. Earlier in 2022, the SAPEA Consortium produced the report “Improving cancer screening in the European Union” which will inform the EC’s proposal to update the 2003 Council Recommendation on cancer screening.

Building on the SAPEA report “A Sustainable Food System for the European Union”, experts from the academies are currently working on the topic “Towards sustainable food consumption”. The findings of the report will inform the revision of the EU “Farm to Fork” strategy  in mid-2023.

SAPEA has also created a podcast series to provide information on current scientific topics and policy advice procedures, for example Barbara Prainsack, chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) and acatech member, on ethics advice in a crisis.

Strategic Partnerships

acatech maintains numerous strategic partnerships with sister academies and other organizations worldwide. This international networking enables acatech to collaborate with the most innovative and creative partners, to tap into specific knowledge, and to exchange views on the global challenges that can only be met through international cooperation.

Advancing future tasks together

Numerous institutions around the world are working on similar sustainability plans and anticipating future challenges. Therefore, it makes sense to exchange, compare, question, and learn from each other. With the top industrial nations and the BRICS countries, partnerships have been established with academies of technology worldwide, as well as with other institutions such as foundations, chambers of commerce, embassies, think tanks, associations, and others.

Selection of our sister academies:

Tackling global challenges together

acatech contributes to answering urgent questions of the future through creative, interdisciplinary as well as intercultural cooperation with the most creative partners worldwide.

France

Since 201, the National Academy of Technologies of France and acatech have been engaged in a dialog on topics of common interest.

acatech President Jan Wörner and the President of the NATF, Denis Ranque, agreed to work closely together in various areas at a meeting in Paris on 12 and 13 April 2022. In this context, they reaffirm the partnership between the two national academies, whose course is defined in the cooperation agreement signed in Paris in May 2011. The two academies wish to carry out joint projects and events in the future, and maintain a regular exchange of information with each other on topics of common interest, such as the promotion of young talent in STEM subjects, the issue of sustainability, energy and resources, security as well as information and communication technology.

China

Since 2013, the Chinese Academy of Engineering and acatech have been engaged in a dialog on topics such as the development of digital infrastructures, urban industrial development and smart production, urban planning and mobility concepts, and smart city management services. Representatives from the science, industry and politics of both countries discussed these and other topics at the Sino-German Symposia, which have been held annually since 2013.

Korea

Cooperation with the Korean Academy of Science and Engineering has been intensified, especially since 2017. In 2019, scientists and industry representatives exchanged ideas on the topic of “Industrial AI in the Era of Digitalization” at RWTH Aachen University under the leadership of acatech member Prof. Dr. Thomas Gries. The academies intend to bring together their joint findings from 2017, 2018 and 2020 in a publication in 2021.

United Kingdom

Continuous scientific exchange between the UK and Germany is of great importance in the post-Brexit era. acatech works closely with the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) on a bilateral level as well as in international umbrella organizations. In October 2020, for example, the two academies organized the virtual UK-Germany Energy Systems Symposium – “Accelerating net zero through policy-research collaboration” to give young scientists and young policymakers from both countries the opportunity to discuss the transformation of national energy systems.

The symposium has led to the launch of ten collaborative projects, which are financially supported by the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and monitored by both national academies. The progress and results of the projects will be presented at a follow-up workshop in December 2021.

Japan

To discuss productivity in the digital age, the Japan Productivity Center in cooperation with acatech, the MÜNCHNER KREIS and the German-Japanese Business Circle are organizing a forum for selected board members of renowned German and Japanese companies. From the discussion of current challenges in Japan and Germany on the topic of productivity, options for action and recommendations for increasing productivity in both countries are to be developed. The partners have agreed to postpone the forum until October 2022.

Switzerland

acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) reaffirmed their intention to strengthen their cooperation in areas of strategic importance by signing a Memorandum of Understanding in Zurich on 23 November 2010. The two Academies wish to implement projects and carry out events together, and maintain a close exchange of information on topics of common interest, such as the promotion of young scientists, innovation and technology, material resources, nano- and biotechnology, energy research, as well as the information and communication technology.

Workshop: “Early identification of topics and trends”

On top of the agenda of the current exchange workshop was the early identification of topics and trends. While acatech identifies relevant future trends by means of a technology survey among acatech members and senators, the Swiss Academy provides orientation in the technology landscape through its Technology Outlook. This report incorporates research on the economic and scientific significance of new fields of technology and an analysis of the public communication of research institutions in social media.

Complementing the academies’ methods, which were explained by Patrick Tomczak (acatech), Claudia Schärer and Esther Lombardini (both SATW), Ralf Blum and Philipp Haan from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits gave a presentation on an AI-supported method for topic and trend detection. In the ensuing discussion, which was led by acatech Senator Richard Gaul, the guests agreed that an AI-supported evaluation of publicly available information – from patent entries to industry trade fair programs to social media – can and, in today’s world, should play a significant role in specific topic identification and trend analysis. At the same time, the participants see the advantages and disadvantages of the respective methods. For example, non-automated analysis methods inevitably encounter limits to scalability. Large amounts of available information can be captured via automation; however, the evaluation criteria must be chosen even more carefully. In summary, the participants agree that the various challenges in the continuous identification and monitoring of trend and technology topics can best be mastered by a mix of methods.

In the second part of the discussion, the participants focused on the question of how to communicate the identified topics and trends successfully and sustainably. Here, too, there is no silver bullet. Rather, it became clear that one must constantly think about new ways of communication. Why not sketch out a “Moon Village” for once, as Jan Wörner did in 2015, and attract attention that way? And why not use the target group itself to multiply your own content. This is what happened at acaLAB –  where acatech used the young scientists involved as multipliers for communication with society.

Unfortunately, time has put an end to this fruitful workshop. Jan Wörner sums up that acatech and SATW are similar in their core, work on similar topics, can learn from each other and should strive for cooperation on the topics of foresight, sovereignty, creation of attractions and communication. Benoît Dubuis suggests continuing working together in the future, to use the momentum and to have the courage of trying things out together.

acatech on Tuesday “Rail in the spotlight”

On 16 December 2021, Christofer Hierold, President of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) opened the last “acatech am Dienstag” (acatech on Tuesday) dialogue of the year 2021 alongside Jan Wörner, President of acatech. This dialogue focused on the topic of railway. In addition to the country-specific challenges, the participants agreed that both countries can learn from each other in terms of digitalisation, intelligent networking and intermodal linking of mobility services.

Journées de Réflexion

On the occasion of the Journées de Réflexion, the Executive Board, Members of the Scientific Advisory Board, the heads of thematic platforms and other members and staff of SATW discussed strategic and thematic issues on 30 and 31 October 2019 in Brunnen. Dieter Spath, the then President of acatech, took the meeting as an opportunity to consolidate the dialogue between SATW and acatech. He introduced the major topics of acatech at the meeting and identified common fields of interest in which mutually beneficial cooperation would be possible between the academies.

Thinking about social challenges on a global scale

Climate Change

A sustainable energy transition in the sense of global climate protection can only succeed with international cooperation. Recent developments, such as the European Green Deal or the SDG’s of the United Nations, focus on a global solution to the problem. Since its founding, acatech has been committed to making a significant contribution to global climate protection.

Current news

acatech and the Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences organized a seminar in Brussels in 2018 on “Policy options for a reliable European electricity system”.

In cooperation with the UK Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), acatech organized the UK-DE Energy Systems Symposium – “Accelerating net zero through policy-research collaboration” in October 2020.

As early as 2012, acatech pointed out that an efficient financing framework for decarbonization must emerge across Europe. Central to this is the price for CO2 emissions. The steering capacity of the CO2 price was also emphasized by the Euro-CASE Energy Platform, which presented the position paper “Reform Options for the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)” under the leadership of acatech member Prof. Dr. Ottmar Edenhofer. The statement on “sector coupling” from the ESYS project also points to its central importance. In the energy transition, the states must learn from each other and cooperate with each other. This is the concern of the joint initiative of acatech and BDI on “Transformation Paths of Energy Systems in International Perspective.” Delegation trips to the USA and Asia brought representatives from politics, business, science and the media into discussion with international partners.

Digitalization

acatech contributes to harnessing the digital transformation for all areas of life worldwide, in particular to create more prosperity and a better quality of life for citizens.

Current news

In his role as Global Representative and Advisor to the national Industrie 4.0 platform, Prof. Dr. Henning Kagermann, Chairman of the acatech Board of Trustees, strengthens the exchange between stakeholders from science, industry and politics.

On the sidelines of the SMATECH fair at a high-level symposium in November 2020, Henning Kagermann, Thomas Hahn (Platform I. 4.0, Siemens), Sung-Cheon Kang (Vice Minister MSS/Korea) and Jeong Dong Lee (Special Advisor to the President of Korea) discussed the current progress of Industrie 4.0 (Germany) and Smart Manufacturing Innovation (Korea) as well as the progress of the jointly launched working groups Standardization, IT Security and Cooperation with Small and Medium Enterprises.

In addition, on November 17, 2020, Henning Kagermann was awarded the prestigious Honda Prize for his innovative strength and commitment to the vision of the fourth industrial revolution.

Other

The work of acatech is multifaceted and some events cannot be assigned to one main topic.

Current News

Yoichiro Matsumoto, Advisor for Science and Technology to the Japanese Foreign Minister visits acatech

Jan Wörner and the Advisor for Science and Technology to the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoichiro Matsumoto exchanged views on the role of academies in providing policy advice and on attracting young scientists.

acatech President Jan Wörner and acatech member Frank Behrendt welcomed Yoichiro Matsumoto, Advisor for Science and Technology to the Japanese Foreign Minister, Science Attaché Satoshi Suzuki, Kana Asano and Tomoko Sawada, both members at the Center for Research and Development Strategy of the Japan Agency for Science and Technology, at the acatech office in Berlin on October 11, 2022.

Jan Wörner introduced acatech, its working methods and current thematic priorities. In addition to the two-pillar structure, in which the Japanese guests see a clear added value for topic-specific policy advice, the benefits for the academy’s members and senators were also highlighted. Frank Behrendt, acatech member, emphasized in this context that he sees particular added value in networking. Interdisciplinary cooperation beyond one’s own horizon is a benefit, both for the Academy and for the members and senators themselves.

In addition, the participants discussed ways of attracting young scientists. The focus was on the motivation of students to dedicate themselves to PhD studies following their master’s degree. The different ways of obtaining a PhD, for example through cooperation between universities and scientific institutions or companies, were discussed, as were the challenges faced by students.

With this meeting, acatech was able to further strengthen its good relations with the Japanese Embassy, as well as to discuss further cooperation, for example in the organization of the annual event in the international academy association CAETS in 2026.

International Conferences and Events

Our international events offer the opportunity to exchange ideas on various technoscientific topics with worldwide partners, to build networks and to positively shape global challenges.

Announcements

acatech NATF – Workshop: “Shaping the future of mobility and energy supply together, in a technology-open manner”, February 10, 2023, Germany, Munich

Jan Wörner and Denis Ranque – the presidents of the German and French Academies of Science and Engineering – agreed to further strengthen cooperation between the academies in Paris on April 12 and 13, 2022. The academies have agreed to organize a joint workshop “Shaping the future of mobility and energy supply together, in a technology-open manner”.

German Japanese Business Leaders Forum on Productivity, Munich, October 6, 2023

To discuss productivity in the digital age, the Japan Productivity Center is organizing a forum for selected board members of renowned German and Japanese companies in cooperation with acatech, the MÜNCHNER KREIS and the German-Japanese Business Circle. The discussion about current challenges in Japan and Germany on the topic of productivity is to be used to develop options for action and recommendations for increasing productivity in both countries.

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CAETS Annual Conference 2023, Croatia, Zagreb, October, 2023

At the CAETS Council Meeting on September 29, 2022, the Croatian Academy of Engineering Sciences assumed the CAETS presidency and announced that the next CAETS Annual Meeting will be held in Zagreb on the theme of “Breakthrough Technologies for Mobility” in October 2023. The focus of CAETS 2023 will include electrification of transport, battery technologies, hydrogen, fuel cells and electric fuels, autonomous driving, and modal shift.

Euro-CASE Annual Conference 2023, Spain, Madrid, September, 2023

The next Euro-CASE Annual Meeting will be held in Madrid on the theme of “Energy Challenges in Europe – The Role of Engineering in securing Supplies and technologies” in September 2023. It will be organized by the The Real Academia de Ingeniería, Spain.

Past events

The Robot Revolution and Industrial IoT International Symposium 2022, Japan, 11-13 October 2022

The main theme of this year’s RRI International Symposium was “Manufacturing as the foundation of all industries”.

Prof. Dr. Henning Kagermann, Chair of the acatech Board of Trustees, held a keynote at the virtual Leaders Dialogue on the second day of the symposium and discuss important trends and approaches in the field of integrated service system of Product-Service Systems (PSSs) happening around the globe with business leaders from various countries.

Early Identification, Germany, Munich, October 5, 2022

acatech and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) organised a joint workshop to discuss methods, instruments and derivable results from foresight processes.

CAETS Annual Conference 2022, France, Versailles, September 26-29, 2022

The international Conference CAETS 2022 “Breakthrough Technologies for Healthcare” was organized by The National Academy of Technologies of France. It was held on September 26 – 29 in Versailles, near Paris. Additional information is available here.

Euro-CASE Annual Conference 2022, Belgium, Brussels, September 19, 2022

From Open-Science to Innovation – An engineering challenge for Europe

In the last decade there is a growing momentum towards making all steps of the scientific activities more open and transparent, and in this way speeding up the cooperation, progress, adaptation and implementation of the findings. This is also important in order to increase the trust in scientific findings for a crisis like a pandemic or for major societal issues like climate change. But open science concerns mainly the research process, generally supported by public funding, making new knowledge a part of the common good of humanity.

The innovation process is quite different although complementary. Open science could make more critical the so-called” European paradox”: Europe is still at the top for basic research but is often unable to translate scientific advances into marketable innovations! Without local ecosystems, including private companies, research and technology organizations, strategic local public support etc., the results of research, which is more and more open and accessible to anybody, will not be rewarded to the countries funding the development of knowledge.

The concept of “Responsible innovation” needs to be addressed as well. Is it nowadays possible to develop an innovation which is not supporting or contributing to the societal transition to a sustainable world? Is it possible to extend the concept of open-source in software, into open free innovation for technological solutions aiming to realize the many unavoidable transitions?

How are these concerns taken into account in the different European countries? It’s clearly a challenge for Euro-CASE members.
The goal of this conference was to learn good practices from all Euro-CASE partners and innovators, to debate the opportunities and challenges created by open science, RRI (responsible research and innovation) and responsible innovation and to translate these basic trends, allowing to disseminate technical solutions for easing the needed transitions in accordance with the needs of very different countries.

Euro-CASE Annual Conference 2021, United Kingdom, 25-26 November 2021

The Royal Academy of Engineering hosted the Euro-CASE Annual Conference in November 2021 on the theme “Building back better”. The thematic focus was on the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and achieving climate neutrality and resilience in Europe by 2050.

Science and Technology in Society Forum, Japan, Kyoto, 2-5 October 2021

In 2021, the annual forum focussed thematically on how insights from science as well as new technologies can contribute to solving global challenges.

CAETS Annual Conference 2021, Argentina, Buenos Aires, 20-24 September 2021

The Argentine Academy of Engineering Sciences hosted the CAETS Annual Conference in September 2021 on the topic of “The Future of Energy”. The thematic focus was on renewable energies, but also on the future handling of traditionalresources.

Euro-CASE Annual Conference 2020, Zagreb, Croatia, November 20, 2020

The Croatian Academy of Science and Engineering (HATZ) hosted the Euro-CASE Annual Conference on “Dealing with the Challenges of the European Energy Transition” online in November 2020. Experts from more than 20 European countries discussed the EU’s energy policy and the impact of the energy transition on the European economy.

Honda Price 2020, November 17, 2020, Japan

Henning Kagermann, Chairman of the acatech Board of Trustees and Global Representative of the Industrie 4.0 platform, accepted the prestigious award for his innovative strength and commitment to the vision of the fourth industrial revolution in a virtual award ceremony on November 17, 2020.

SMATEC 2020, Seoul, Korea, November 17, 2020

As ambassador of the Industrie 4.0 platform, Henning Kagermann takes the latest developments in Industrie 4.0 in Germany beyond national borders. With scientists, representatives of ministries and companies around the globe, he discusses the paths to Industry 4.0, which platform strategies are particularly promising, and how network security, norms and standards, and the legal framework can be shaped. This was also the case on the sidelines of the SMATECH trade fair at a high-level symposium in November 2020. Representatives of Plattform Industrie 4.0, acatech and BMWi discussed the current progress of Industrie 4.0 (Germany) and Smart Manufacturing Innovation (Korea) with representatives of Korean ministries and companies, as well as the progress of the jointly launched working groups on standardization, IT security and cooperation with small and medium-sized enterprises.

UK-DE Energy Systems Symposium, virtual event, October 19-23, 2020

To give young scientists and policy makers from Germany and the UK the opportunity to discuss the transformation of national energy systems, acatech and the UK Royal Academy of Engineering organized the virtual UK-Germany Energy Systems Symposium – “Accelerating Net Zero through Policy-research Collaboration” from October 19 to 23, 2020. The symposium was financially supported by the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and attended by more than 60 German and British experts. Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn, member of the Board of Trustees of acatech, co-chaired the symposium alongside the Chief Scientific Advisor of the British Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), John Loughhead. Prof. Dr. Dirk Uwe Sauer, Chair of the academy project ESYS, gave country-specific overviews of the current state of the energy transition in his keynote speech.

CAETS Annual Conference 2020, Seoul, Korea, October 12-15, 2020

The CAETS Annual Meeting was held as a hybrid event in Seoul in mid-October 2020. The two-day CAETS Symposium focused on the topic of “Engineering a Better World: Smart Society”. Around 400 renowned experts from all over the world, including acatech member Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wagner, presented papers and held discussions on the specific topics of Hyper-Connected Life, Sustainable Community, Smart Energy Network and Climate Change. They succeeded in analyzing the country-specific challenges in the development of sustainable societies and developing innovative approaches to solving the existing problems.