German-Russian project "Together for a better climate – BRIDGE"

Successful cooperation of the Helmholtz Association with Russia has been highly appreciated by the German Federal Government. On June 1, 2021, the Federal Minister of Education and Research of Germany, Mrs. Anja Karliczek, presented the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (GFZ) Prize for active support of Russian-German cooperation in the field of educational and scientific diplomacy. In particular, the project of the GFZ "Together for a better climate - Active Scientific Diplomacy with Russia – BRIDGE" was noted. The initiative is aimed at joint German-Russian climate and sustainability research and involves a number of bilateral events.

On November 16, 2021, the solemn launch of the project "Together for a better climate - Active Scientific Diplomacy with Russia – BRIDGE" took place in Moscow. The event was organized by the Embassy of Germany in Moscow, the GFZ Potsdam and the Moscow office of the Helmholtz Association in partnership with the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. For the opening ceremony a delegation from GFZ Potsdam came to Moscow.

Vice-President of the Academy Yuri Balega, welcoming the guests, noted the special nature of cooperation between the Helmholtz Association and the Russian Academy of Sciences. "For many years we have been strategic partners in international projects. Russian scientists cooperate with almost all 18 centers in all fields of science — at the moment, about 35 joint projects are being implemented."

Mrs. Gabriele Hermani from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research expressed hope that this project will contribute to building trusting relationships and personal contacts between scientists from Russia and Germany.

Ruslan Edelgeriev, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Climate Issues, in his speech stressed the great potential of German-Russian cooperation in the development and implementation of green technologies and hydrogen production.

Geza Andreas von Geyr, German Ambassador to Russia, positively assessed the role of German-Russian scientific cooperation and its importance for German-Russian relations. "If you look at the whole German-Russian relations as a whole, then scientific cooperation is a success. It works perfectly, and this is a very positive aspect of the relations between the two countries. Scientific cooperation seeks answers to long-term issues and builds solid projects for years and decades. And just at those times when we have problems in the political sphere, it gives us the opportunity to "build bridges".

At the opening ceremony of the project, experts discussed the contribution of climate research to scientific diplomacy, conducting evidence-based policy and strengthening Russian-German cooperation. The event was held in a hybrid format. The recording of the event is available on the channel Scientific Russia on Youtube. In addition to the evening gala event, the launch of the project included a symposium in the morning, as well as a panel expert discussion.