The Federal Ministry of Research will be cooperating with the Mexican research council CONACYT to organise a science and technology symposium to be held on 14 and 15 November 2016 in Mexico City. All project participants who became involved in response to previous joint funding announcements are invited, as are other scientists. Theme-based panels will be set up to develop new topics for later announcements and to improve networking between scientists in both countries. The aim of these events is to intensify the positive cooperation between both countries and to improve links between German and Mexican researchers.
The Year of Mexico in Germany and the Year of Germany in Mexico will be taking place simultaneously and feature numerous events in both countries. For the area of science and research, for example, the Max Planck Society will be exhibiting a “Science Tunnel” in Mexico City. At the end of September 2016, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will be taking part in the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara. This Congress is the world's largest annual aerospace conference, and the DLR normally takes part with a large stand and many representatives. One particularly successful highlight are the school experiments from the DLR School Labs at the DLR stand, to which local schoolchildren are invited. Many universities, funding organisations and intermediaries are planning other activities for the German-Mexican Year.
Special exhibition “America after the Ice Age – Mankind and Megafauna in the New World”
The colonisation of the American continent is the theme of joint special exhibitions to be held by the University of Heidelberg, the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe and the largest Mexican natural history museum, “Museo del Desierto”; these will be funded by the Federal Ministry of Research. The abrupt climate fluctuations 10,000 to 14,000 years ago led to the mass extinction of large mammals. This exciting group of topics is the subject of the special German-Mexican exhibition “America after the Ice Age – Mankind and Megafauna in the New World”, which will be open to the public in Germany and Mexico from 2017. On 15 June 2016, the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe will be giving a reception with decorations offering a small preview of the touring exhibition.
From June 2016 to May 2017, the German-Mexican Year will be displaying the many facets of the relations between these two countries. Federal Minister of Research Johanna Wanka spent several days in Mexico back in February 2016. Agreements have been made for example to expand the cooperation between small and medium-sized companies and universities and research institutions. The two countries also intend to collaborate more closely in the area of vocational education.
The Year of Germany in Mexico is an initiative by the Federal Government.
