Last week Bavaria’s Minister President Horst Seehofer visited Skolkovo, the international tech hub under completion on the outskirts of Moscow, at the head of a delegation of representatives of Bavarian business.
“I remember well how six years ago there were just fields here when we were first in contact. We can see that the future of Russia is forming here,” Skolkovo Foundation quoted Seehofer as saying.
The aim of the trip is to identify areas of cooperation.
It is a “win-win situation” for companies to work in Bavaria and Russia, believes the Minister-President, who was accompanied by top representatives of major companies such as Airbus Helicopters in Germany and BAUER Maschinen.
As noted by Skolkovo Foundation, Bavaria’s startup ecosystem broadly matches that Skolkovo, whose clusters cover IT, Biomed, energy, space and nuclear.
Rupert Gerzer, the German provost of Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), presented the graduate research university to the Bavarian delegation. Skoltech considers opening its first branch abroad in Munich, said Gerzer.
Skoltech professors are already working in collaboration with 30 universities and research institutes in Bavaria.
The institute would welcome German students, said Gerzer.
Commenting on the existing ties between German and Russian businesses, Alfred Gaffal, president of Bavaria’s Chamber of Trade and Industry, said: “Sanctions will end one day, and so we continue to build up our contacts with Russia.”
Source: Skolkovo Foundation
