With a grand opening the German-Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation has been initiated by the federal minister Johanna Wanka (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) as well as the Turkish minister Fikri Isik (Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology). The German-Turkish Advanced ICT Research Centre (GT-ARC), partner of DAI-Labor, took part in the exhibition “Science Bridging Nations” which presented German-Turkish collaborations, projects and products to the celebratory event.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Sahin Albayrak, head of the DAI-Labor and CEO of GT-ARC, participated next to Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka, Prof. Rita Süssmuth and Fikri Isik, in the panel discussion concerning the subject “Innovation and Research potentials in the bilateral cooperation between Turkey and Germany”. In conclusion, a positive future for German-Turkish collaborations was highlighted; especially the junior researchers have been praised as a great value.

The “German-Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation 2014” was initiated by both the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Turkish Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology. Thematic focuses of the Science Year are for example information and communication technologies, chemical and physical technologies and biotechnology including health research as well as the global and social change.