Enhancing Science Partnerships for Innovation and Sustainable Development

10/04/2013

Celebratory closing event for the Year of Science on 16 April 2013

After twelve months of productive collaboration during the German-South African Year of Science 2012/2013, the key players from both countries have a lot to celebrate. The official closing event of the Year, taking place on 16 April 2013 at the Museum of Technology in Berlin, provides a great opportunity for this. Guests will be welcomed by Johanna Wanka, German Federal Minister for Education and Research, and her colleague Derek Hanekom, South African Minister of Science and Technology.

Guests at the event can look forward to an eclectic programme. After the opening speech by Prof. Dirk Böndel, Director at the Museum of Technology, guests will be welcomed by the two ministers who will cast a glance back over the year and summarise the achievements. Once again, the focus will be on the cooperative work and success between the partner countries, with a look ahead to the continued collaboration. After all, the official conclusion to the German-South African Year of Science 2012/2013 does not mean an end to the bilateral research partnerships. Quite the opposite – a number of cooperative projects have been initiated and are currently being carried out and developed.

The closing event will include an impressive presentation of the year’s highlights in the form of a specially produced film and a brochure about the research partnerships. Also planned are the signing of a research chair by the two ministers and a press conference to be held after the morning session.

South African TV presenter Motsi Mabuse, who had been involved as an ambassador throughout the Year of Science, will be a special guest at the event. She will be co-host at the awards ceremony for the HISTORY. WRITE. FUTURE. essay competition at the Museum of Technology. The winner of the competition, Lina Schwarz from the Humboldt University in Berlin, will give a recital from her winning entry "Die Verwicklungshilfe" (translation: "Complex Aid"), before being awarded the first prize – a contribution towards the journey to South Africa – by Wanka, German Federal Minister of Education and Research.

After lunch, the afternoon will see a science slam on the topic areas of the Year of Science. Finally, the guests are invited to take part in a city tour of Berlin before ending the day with an evening event in the Museum of Technology's historical engine shed.

• Programme

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