My name is Thorsten Clausing, and since August last year, I have been working as a science and technology counselor at the German Embassy in Singapore.

In short, my main tasks are to support German scientists and scientific institutions in establishing and maintaining cooperation projects with counterparts in Singapore, and to report on developments in science and technology in Singapore that may also be of interest for Germany.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research sees Singapore as one of its key international partners, based on the 1994 Memorandum on Cooperation in the Field of Scientific Research and Technological Development.

The presence of TUM Asia, the Fraunhofer Center, and of course the DAAD Information Point here together with the significant number of bilateral research projects reinforce this assessment.

Finally, it is worth noting that the policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific region, which were adopted by the German government last September, also identify science and technology as one of the policy areas in which bilateral relations with the countries of South-East Asia should be further intensified.

- Contributed by Mr. Thorsten Clausing - Science and Technology Counselor at the German Embassy in Singapore