The vice president of Freie Universität Berlin, Prof. Dr. Verena Blechinger-Talcott emphasized that the participation of Freie Universität in the DWIH in the Japanese capital is a logical further development of the university’s previous engagement in the DWIH, on the one hand, because Japan is one of our most important partner countries and we cooperate with a total of 17 universities there, and on the other hand, because Freie Universität has identified the DWIH as an ideal platform for promoting research in Germany. She continued that the local presence makes it possible to react quickly to the requirements of the respective countries and with the necessary competence.

The aim of the DWIH is to increase the international visibility and knowledge about German science, research, and innovation. In 2008 the German government adopted a strategy for the internationalization of science and research, stating that an increasingly internationally oriented research policy requires a targeted international representation reflecting the diversity of science, research, and innovation in Germany. The Federal Foreign Office’s Research and Academic Relations Initiative has been in place since 2009 to promote the network of the German Centers for Research and Innovation. Since 2017 the Federal Foreign Office has been supporting all the DWIHs through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany, the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), and companies with international operations are involved in the DWIH and their activities. The core mission of the DWIH is to represent German science, research, and innovation at their respective locations. Work takes place in the following areas: “information, advertising and marketing”; “exchange and networks”; and “service and advice.”