Brandenburg’s State Secretary for Science, Tobias Dünow, and the Ambassador of India, H.E. Ajit Vinayak Gupte, Visit Potsdam Science Park

Burkhard Exner, Alderman and Mayor of the City of Potsdam, Prof. Oliver Günther, President of the University of Potsdam and Agnes von Matuschka, Managing Director of Standortmanagement Golm GmbH, also took part in the appointment. The visit focused, among other things, on German-Indian cooperation relations in the field of research, teaching and innovation, as well as on the importance of Indian students for Brandenburg.

State Secretary Tobias Dünow subsequently emphasized the importance of scientific relations with India: “The visit of the Indian Ambassador underlines the shared interest in further developing relations between India and Brandenburg. The talks in Potsdam provided important impetus for this. India is a dynamic partner with high scientific performance and strong innovative capacity. If we bring our strengths together, new, innovative cooperations can emerge from this. The best partnerships arise where people enter into dialogue with one another, conduct research together and learn from one another. That is exactly what we were able to experience today. We want to turn good contacts into even stronger partnerships – between our universities and research institutions, but also between start-ups, companies and the people behind these cooperations. Brandenburg looks forward to continuing this dialogue and further deepening cooperation with India in the coming years.”

H.E. Ajit Vinayak Gupte, Ambassador of the Republic of India: “India and Brandenburg share a strong interest in advancing cooperation in science, technology and innovation. The breadth and quality of Brandenburg’s innovation ecosystem is remarkable, and we see many opportunities for our institutions to work together. There is particular potential in joint research, academic talent mobility and stronger linkages between Brandenburg’s research institutions and Indian Startups. The ongoing cooperation between Brandenburg and Uttarakhand is a relevant example of how such partnerships can deliver meaningful results. I look forward to taking our dialogue forward and translating today’s discussions into mutually beneficial outcomes.”

The visit focused on insights into current research projects as well as the exchange on cooperation between Brandenburg scientific institutions and Indian partners:

• At the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), the delegation gained insights into current research projects, for example on sustainable and bio-based plastics, new lightweight materials and carbon fibers. One focus of the institute is on the bioeconomy and the circular economy. IAP develops polymers from renewable raw materials and works to make materials more sustainable, recyclable and resourceefficient.
• In the Potsdam Science Park, the visitors were shown how closely research, scientific institutions, start-ups and companies are connected with one another. Brandenburg’s largest research location comprises the Golm Campus of the University of Potsdam, two Fraunhofer and three Max Planck Institutes as well as 50 companies and start-ups.
• During the visit to the start-up CanChip GmbH, the Ambassador was also able to get to know innovative applications and the dynamism of Brandenburg’s start-up landscape. The young biotechnology company is exemplary of the innovative strength at the location.
• At the University of Potsdam, the delegation learned about the university’s international study programs and research areas. Presented were, for example, the master’s program CLEWS (Climate, Earth, Water, Sustainability) as well as current research projects in the areas of environmental sciences, geography and computer science. To conclude, there was a direct exchange between the Ambassador and Indian doctoral candidates as well as female and male researchers at the University of Potsdam.

With nearly 3,000 enrolled students, Indian students form the largest group of foreign students at Brandenburg’s universities. In January 2026, the Ministry of Science signed a Joint Declaration of Intent with the Ministry of Science of the Indian state of Uttarakhand in order to further strengthen scientific cooperation. With the agreement, an overarching basis for cooperation at state level was created, for example in research, knowledge and technology transfer, start-up development or the recruitment and transfer of skilled workers. The goal is long-term cooperation in the research areas of disaster prevention and early warning systems, data science and artificial intelligence, digital technologies, clean energies and hydrogen economy as well as new materials and innovative manufacturing. The State of Brandenburg maintains relations with numerous Indian science and research institutions through the University of Potsdam, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences. The focus areas are geology, hydrology, computer science, new materials and clean energy.

Further Information

Press release on MWFK website

MWFK press release (PDF Download; in German)

Image credit: Group photo featuring H.E. Ajit Vinayak Gupte, Ambassador of the Republic of India (3rd from left), and Tobias Dünow, State Secretary for Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg (2nd from left), together with Burkhardt Exner, Deputy Mayor and Treasurer of the City of Potsdam; Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D., President of the University of Potsdam; Agnes von Matuschka, Managing Director of Standortmanagement Golm GmbH at Potsdam Science Park; Dr. Dinesh Antil, First Secretary (ITOU, Economics & Commerce), Embassy of the Republic of India in Berlin; and Dr. Ramanuj Banerjee, Counsellor (Science & Technology), Embassy of the Republic of India in Berlin. | Copyright image: Kevin Ryl