India-Germany discusses collaboration in knowledge, infrastructure sectors

BERLIN - Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has emphasized the need for enhancing the strategic partnership in innovation between India and Germany.

During his three-day visit to D|sseldorf and Berlin, Sharma held a bilateral meeting with Federal Minister of Economics and Technologies, Rainer Bruderle. He also inaugurated the FICCI-Fraunhofer Roundtable on “Innovation as a Driver of Indo-German Economic Relations”.

Both ministers agreed on the establishment of a hotline between the Commerce and Industry Ministry in India and the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Germany to facilitate resolution of any business-related visa issues that may arise from time-to-time.

Both sides agreed on cooperating in multilateral fora on combating protectionist tendencies that have emerged recently.

Sharma suggested further strengthening of institutional linkages especially between economic research and policy institutes in both the countires.

Such linkages could be established between institutes such as German Institutes of Economic Research in Berlin, the Ifo Institute of Economic Research in Munich, Kiel Institute for World Economy and the Halle Institute of Economic Research Partners and, on the Indian side, the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), and the Gokhle Institute of Economic and Politics in Pune.

Sharma also endorsed linkages between national institutes of design in both countries. (ANI)