International Cooperation

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) will host 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

“Breakthrough Technologies for Health”

CAETS Communication Prizes

Initiated by the CAETS Communications Committee, the CAETS Communication Prizes recognise effective audiovisual communication to a general audience of how applied technology and engineering has been or can be used to address a real-world problem, and the resulting benefits to the economy or society.

Call for Submissions: 2022 CAETS Communication Prizes

acatech invites video submissions from acatech Members and early career professionals based in Germany. Submissions close at 6pm, 10 June 2022.

We are seeking short videos which highlight the work of our community and communicate engineering innovations in an inspiring way. We will select submissions for the CAETS communication prize from these entries.

There are two CAETS communications prizes open and we will select one entry for submission to each. The prizes are:

Category 1: Engineering success stories
Open to Members of CAETS member academies, this prize recognises outstanding audiovisual communication of excellence and innovation in technological sciences or engineering.
The winning entry will have clearly communicated the successful identification of and solution for a problem, with the outcome being of benefit to the economy or society, either nationally or internationally.
Category 2: High potential innovations
Open to tertiary education students and junior scientists/engineers with less than 10 years’ work experience (with allowances for career breaks), this prize recognises outstanding audiovisual communication of excellence and innovation in technological sciences or engineering.

The winning entry will have successfully identified and validated an evidence-based solution that can be proven over time, with the outcome being of benefit to the economy or society, either nationally or internationally. Videos must be five minutes in length or less. We strongly encourage videos to be produced in English, however videos in languages other than English will be accepted providing they have English subtitles.

Videos are to be submitted in MP4 format with a resolution of 720p or 1080p. Please transfer these (via Dropbox, WeTransfer or a similar file transfer system) to wagner@acatech.de by 6pm, 10 June 2022. Alternatively, a link to online access (e.g. YouTube) may be provided.
The CAETS prizes will be assessed by an international judging panel drawn from CAETS member academies. One international winner will be selected in each category. The winners of the prizes will be announced on 27 September at CAETS Convocation 2022 in France.

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

Guidance for self-filming from a laptop or mobile phone can be found here.

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

Since November 2016, the five European academy associations (Academia Europaea, ALLEA, EASAC, Euro-CASE and FEAM) with more than 100 academies, have been a part of the European Commission’s scientific advisory mechanism for the SAPEA project (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies). The academies compile the available knowledge in reports and develop evidence-based recommendations for political action – interdisciplinary, independent, and according to the best available scientific data. The aim is to incorporate scientific findings more efficiently and at an early stage into the political decision-making process at the European level. The project is funded by Horizon 2020 and coordinated by acatech.

The latest SAPEA report “Improving cancer screening in the European Union” was published in March 2022.

The findings of the report “A Systemic Approach to the Energy Transition in Europe” were published in 2021 and feed into the implementation of the European Green Deal.

In 2020, a report entitled “A Sustainable Food System for the European Union” was published, which served as a source for the EU “Farm to Fork” strategy. In addition, another report “Biodegradability of Plastics in the open Environment” was published in December, which contributes to the EU plastics strategy.

SAPEA has also created an overview page of the work of the academies in Europe on the COVID-19 pandemic and established a podcast series to provide information on current scientific topics and policy advice procedures, for example Peter Gluckman, president of the International Network for Government Science Advice, on COVID-19.

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.

acatech and SATW have agreed to jointly tackle the topic of Technology Foresight by exploring together the methods, instruments and results of foresight processes. In light of this, the two Academies are organising a joint workshop in Munich in October 2022. Moreover, the Presidents of the two Academies will exchange their opinions on possible joint projects and formats in the run-up to the workshop.

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.

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.

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

Call for Nominations for 2022 Global Top Ten Engineering Achivements

Nominations for 2022 Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements, launched by Engineering, the flag journal of Chinese Academy of Engineering, are now open. The Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements are annually selected in order to draw global attention to engineering science and technology while manifesting the wisdom and strength of engineers. The shortlist will be published in the last issue of each year’s Engineering. This year is the second time after the successful publishment of the 2021 Global Top Ten in Engineering.

Nominations for 2022 Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements are open till 15 April 2022. Engineering will then set up a Selection Committee to evaluate all nominated Engineering Achievements. To nominate please visit this site.

For more information, please see the following link.

German Japanese Business Leaders Forum on Productivity, Munich, October 6, 2022

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.

Early Identification, Germany, Munich, October 5, 2022

acatech and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) are organising 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” is organized by The National Academy of Technologies of France. It will be 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 is 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.

Programme and Registration soon available.

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

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

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 energies, but also on the future handling of traditionalresources.

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

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

Past events

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.