EV: Both regions have been working closely together for more than 30 years and from the beginning, this cooperation was understood to be holistic, which means that it extends to all areas of public life, such as politics and administration, business, science, research, technology, innovation and also education and culture.

There are, of course, many highlights in this diverse collaboration. To name them all would exceed the boundaries of this interview. But to give you an example of our scientific cooperation: we support a project between the Ludwig-Maximilian's University of Munich and the Montréal innovation cluster on climatology called Ouranos. The project investigates the effects of climate change on extreme meteorological and hydrological events and their implications for water management in our two regions. This is a great example of two international project partners that join forces to run climate models, linked with hydrological modelling, using high-performance computing.

BE: In general, we see great economic benefits resulting from our international cooperation. This is why our representative offices support companies from both regions in exporting and in establishing companies in the other partner's country. The close cooperation and the trust that has grown over the years allow us to open doors much more easily than it would be possible without our local representative offices.

And of course, there is also an exchange of knowledge between the project partners. This concerns both, the sharing of best practices in public administration, as well as the content-based, scientific exchange of knowledge. Based on this solid foundation of our political relations, science and innovation have gained more and more importance in our cooperation in recent years.

EV: Our international partnerships and networks offer new insights and ideas, but also allow access to excellent researchers and their respective networks. Engaging in international scientific collaboration means to join forces with the aim to reach excellence.

We contribute, for example, in the development of various high-profile exchange projects specializing in climate change, health-related research, artificial intelligence and many other domains. Besides for a better mutual cross-cultural understanding, the benefits we gain from this exchange might also help in decision-making, either on a purely scientific level, but also in education, in advising governments, to improve medical treatments or to boost economic gains. As both regions are technologically well advanced, the sharing of synergies – when it comes to their technological skills – can considerably increase their reciprocal progress. Plus, both regions are a strategic gateway to the other regions, which means that the North American, Canadian, European and German markets can be accessed from Québec and Bavaria respectively.

EV: We cooperate based on our shared values. You can see this quite well in the field of artificial intelligence, for example. Here, ethical guidelines are very important to structure solutions that are acceptable and meet the conditions of the respective societies and legal systems.

The way the industries are structured and the high level of research in Québec and Bavaria are just two of many similarities one could mention. Here lies a great potential to cooperate. An example to illustrate this high level of research would be the advanced aviation industry in Québec and the very strong automotive industry in Bavaria.





BE: Another example would be artificial intelligence in Québec and the 4.0 industry in Bavaria, which is another field of complementarity and which enables potential collaboration. So, our shared values and the way we both look at science and innovation are definitely our key forces. Both our governments invest in science and consider it the basis for innovation and growth. And, as mentioned before, we want to have an international outreach and collaborate at the global level to achieve excellence. This way we have been able to help create and establish structures and excellent conditions for scientific collaboration in a variety of different fields.

EV: In general, we support the development of projects and the search for funding opportunities for science and innovation projects. The governments of Bavaria and Québec also support the direct funding of science and innovation projects. However, each project or initiative has its own challenges. This is where we step in by providing a service tailored to the needs of the specific project partners. A particular feature is that the cooperation between Québec and Bavaria is cross-sectoral and that it operates at all levels. Therefore – by acting at the intersection of politics, administration, economy and innovation – we are the link, promoter, facilitator and ambassador for cooperation projects. Our work covers many aspects, and since we have quick access to responsible organizations in our respective regions, we can help to substantially accelerate the development and expansion of projects and exchanges.



BE: And usually, it is precisely funding and bureaucracy that are the biggest challenges in international cooperation projects.

The Bavarian Government established the Scientific Coordination Office Québec/Alberta/International, which offers help with science management to our project partners. Trying to align international projects to funding timelines in different countries is a challenge, as well as finding suitable partners in specific fields of research and development.

Additionally, we try to build networks that go beyond the individual projects. In our experience a lot of new ideas arise when people meet.

EV: We have been represented at several conferences organized by the GCC and we would like to thank you for your exceptional commitment. Your topics are set very precisely and lie in areas where Québec and Bavaria are particularly strong. Also, the very intensive preparation by the GCC team through previous travels to Québec and meetings with key partners and participants raises awareness for new projects. The topics you have covered fostered cooperation in cutting-edge technical fields of great importance.



BE: In fact, the GCC is providing a great platform for creating and strengthening connections between Bavaria, Québec, Germany and Canada. Even before the pandemic, the GCC was visionary in using virtual meeting tools that allowed live interaction of expert groups on both sides of the Atlantic. The innovative and technology-driven topics, be it aerospace or AI, are a perfect fit for the fields in which we proactively promote transatlantic partnerships.

BE: We met a number of interested professionals at your events, whether in Berlin or in Montréal. Therefore, your events were helpful to foster and grow our network – and I am sure they will be in the future. For sure, our delegates are happy to actively participate in the conferences, which will stimulate the discussion for all of us.

EV: The in-person format was very useful, and it was also helpful that you have early developed hybrid formats with parallel events in Québec and Germany. It will be interesting to see how the format will evolve in the post-pandemic period. Having key industry and project partners (such as Airbus) and multipliers (such as CRIAQ) at the event is a very promising idea.

BE: Bavarian companies and organizations such as BMW and Applied AI were given the opportunity to present at past GCC events, and I am sure they have made valuable contacts in Québec and in Canada. All participants have benefited from great new contacts at GCC events.

EV: We are always open for contacts and on the lookout for speakers and participants we could invite to your events. We are very curious about how you develop the format further.

BE: Keep up the good networking possibilities. By offering events with interesting speakers on each specific topic will help get the right people together and I am sure there will be collaborations in the future.

Photo Credits:

Header picture: Québec-Bavaria working group High spirits at the 14th meeting of the Québec-Bavaria working group (Oct. 18, 2016), which supported more than 60 cooperation projects in the fields of politics and administration, business, science, technology and innovation, education and culture. The former Delegate General Claude Trudelle (front row, 5th from left) and the Head of the Bavarian Representative Office in Montréal Benjamin Emans (back row, 5th from left) were present. (This photo was taken before the start of the Corona pandemic.) ©Bavarian State Chancellery

Elisa Valentin: Official photo of the General Delegate

Benjamin Emans: Official photo of the Director of the State of Bavaria Montréal Office

ClimEx: Québec's Minister of International Affairs and Francophonie, Ms. Nadine Girault, in conversation with Prof. Dr. Ralf Ludwig from the Ouranos/ClimEx project and the director of the Leibniz Supercomputing Center, Prof. Dr. Dieter Kranzlmüller, during her visit to the Leibniz Supercomputing Center in Garching in January 2019. The ClimEx project is a scientific cooperation on climate change and related hydrological changes in Bavaria and in Québec. (This photo was taken before the start of the Corona pandemic.) ©www.alessandro-podo.de