Brandenburg Strengthens Cooperation with India – Delegation Visits the Potsdam Science Park

On 8 January 2026, Dr Manja Schüle, Minister of Science of the Federal State of Brandenburg, and Dr Ranjit Kumar Sinha, Secretary of State for Technical Education of the Government of Uttarakhand, India, signed an agreement on future science and research cooperation between the Germany's Federal State of Brandenburg and the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The delegation visited the Potsdam Science Park, one of the leading science parks in Germany's capital region.

The event was attended by senior representatives from universities and research institutions in Brandenburg and Uttarakhand.

The University of Potsdam and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have a long-standing research partnership, particularly in environmental sciences and hazard research. Joint projects on natural hazards in Europe and the Himalayas provide a strong foundation for expanding cooperation to additional disciplines and for strengthening collaboration in knowledge and technology transfer.

For this reason, this year's visit focused on the work of the Potsdam Science Park and its role as a hub for innovation, knowledge transfer and start-up creation. During the visit, representatives of the Potsdam Science Park presented its role in fostering innovation, interdisciplinary research, and knowledge and technology transfer, and discussed opportunities for future joint projects.

Minister of Science Dr Manja Schüle: "We are facing challenges that require global solutions and international cooperation. Science and research are key to this. That is why the cooperation agreement we signed today is so important, promoting both innovation and entrepreneurship and building bridges between our cultures and societies. (…) I am confident that together we will achieve a great deal!"

Prof. Dr Wolfram Berger, Vice-President for Internationalisation at BTU: "The Joint Declaration of Intent opens up new perspectives for our university to expand international cooperation in India. In particular, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, located in the Uttarakhand region, has significant overlaps with all of BTU's profile areas. With over 20 departments, it offers an excellent basis for joint activities in research and teaching and at the same time underlines the strategic importance of India as a partner of the BTU. This was also impressively demonstrated by my personal visit in March 2025 and the constructive discussions on site."

For the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU), India is an important partner in the context of internationalisation. The close and dynamic collaboration is reflected in partnerships with Indian universities in research and teaching. It is characterised in particular by bilateral mobility of students and scientists and includes joint future-oriented research projects in the four profile areas: global change and transformation processes, energy transition and decarbonisation, health and life sciences, artificial intelligence and sensor technology. India is the largest international student group at BTU.

Prof. Dr Oliver Günther, President of the University of Potsdam: "The agreement between the two federal states of Brandenburg and Uttarakhand is a good example of science foreign policy in practice. It documents the bond between India and Germany in difficult political times and will contribute significantly to intensifying good scientific contacts and exchanges between researchers and students. This will also help to counteract the shortage of skilled workers, as Indian students often remain in the country after completing their studies and go on to work as highly qualified employees and managers in our companies and universities."

The state of Brandenburg maintains relations with numerous Indian scientific and research institutions through the University of Potsdam, the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus-Senftenberg, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for GeoResearch. The focus is on the fields of geology, hydrology, computer science, new materials and clean energy. The agreement creates a comprehensive basis for cooperation at the state level, for example in research, knowledge and technology transfer, start-up development, and the recruitment and transfer of skilled workers. The aim is long-term cooperation in the research areas of disaster prevention and early warning systems, data science and artificial intelligence, digital technologies, clean energy and hydrogen economy, as well as new materials and innovative manufacturing.

Uttarakhand is a state in northern India with a population of around ten million and numerous leading scientific institutions, particularly in the fields of mathematics and natural sciences. Founded in 1847, the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee is India's oldest technical university and today one of the best technical universities in the country.