About 60 alumni of seven German research organisations met in New York on 20 and 21 October.

The first international research alumni meeting held as part of a joint research marketing campaign by German science organisations took place on 20 and 21 October in New York. Its aim was to create an inter-organisational network to promote Germany as a location for research. Invited by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, about 60 research alumni from various German institutions attended the conference “New Frontiers: Shifting Trends in the Global Research Landscape and their Impact on Researchers’ Career Patterns”, where they discussed, among other things, the importance of networks for transatlantic academic careers and how to continue gaining junior researchers for stays in and cooperations with Germany in the face of growing international competition.

Based on research stays in Germany all the participants meanwhile have embarked on successful academic careers in the USA. “Thanks to their experience in Germany, research alumni are ideally suited to generating interest among junior researchers from other countries in research stays in Germany”, said Enno Aufderheide, Secretary General of the Humboldt Foundation. “We are pleased that with this event the Humboldt Foundation has for the first time succeeded in securing the participation of all large research organisations. Working closely together will enable us to increase our effectiveness.” In addition to representatives from leading German research organisations, representatives of the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Science and Innovation Forum in New York took part in the event. The next network conference for research alumni is planned for March 2012 in India.

The conference is part of the project “International Research Marketing”, which is a joint initiative by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service, the German Research Foundation and the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. It is designed to promote Germany as a research location both nationally and internationally and raise the country’s profile on the global science market. All the measures organised in the context of the project are part of the initiative to “Promote Innovation and Research in Germany” funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the brand name “Research in Germany”.