Shaping the future: India and Germany's growing exchange of talent, knowledge, and innovation is truly inspiring

As a passionate bridge-builder between cultures and disciplines, I experience daily how enriching the connection between Germany and India is, particularly valuable in culture, education, and research, as well as for businesses.

According to the Institute of German Economy, currently, over 50,000 young Indians are studying at German universities, many of them in STEM fields. In Düsseldorf alone, around 7,000 people with Indian roots live and work.

Indian professionals are in demand in Germany across many industrial sectors and in healthcare: by the end of 2023, around 138,000 Indian professionals were employed here. Their contribution is essential to alleviating the skilled labor shortage – without them, the gap would be 20% larger.

These numbers are more than statistics – they tell the stories of people who courageously embark on a journey from the global south to the heart of Europe, and conversely, from Germany and Europe to the Indian subcontinent. Each journey is the beginning of a learning experience that never ends.

India aims to integrate elements of the dual education system into selected industrial sectors to better align workforce training with economic needs. This offers Germany, along with its partners in the DACH region and Europe, the opportunity to attract qualified professionals for its own labor market while promoting the export of its successful education system.

Particularly fruitful synergies exist in research and development projects in materials science, biotechnology, health research, sustainability, production technology, artificial intelligence, and future city development.

For me, one thing is clear: only together will we overcome the enormous challenges of climate change, demographic developments, and the resulting reform requirements for bureaucracy and administration, forming strong partnerships that will endure for future generations.

Let us openly and trustingly appreciate the diverse cultural knowledge and use it in a shared vision for the prosperity and well-being of people in both world regions.