Strengthening Global Partnerships at the DWIH Network Day 2026
© DAAD/Melina Mörsdorf
The DWIH Network Day is an annual event bringing together representatives from the DWIH offices in New Delhi, New York, San Francisco, São Paulo, and Tokyo to discuss DWIH’s international engagement and connect with partners, researchers, and innovators from across the world.
On June 26, 2026, representatives from academia, research, innovation, industry, and government gathered in Hamburg for the fourth German Centers for Research and Innovation (DWIH) Network Day. In keeping with this year’s focus topic “Science for Society”, the event provided a valuable forum for strengthening and fostering partnerships as well as discussing the future of international research and innovation cooperation.
The event opened with welcoming remarks by Christina Gehlsen, Head of the Science Diplomacy Division at the German Federal Foreign Office, followed by an introduction into recent developments across the global DWIH network.
A major highlight of the Network Day was the presentation of “DWIH Innovate”, a new initiative funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), which officially launched on July 1. The program aims to strengthen institutional exchange and an entrepreneurial mindset among early-career entrepreneurs, researchers, and startup teams affiliated with German universities and research institutions.
Representatives of the DWIH locations in San Francisco, New York, Tokyo, São Paulo, and New Delhi introduced their respective centers by highlighting their recent activities, regional priorities, and contributions to Germany’s international science and innovation engagement. Representing DWIH San Francisco, Communications Officer Max Larson outlined Silicon Valley’s unique innovation ecosystem while sharing insights from DWIH San Francisco’s recent “Science for Society” panel discussions and the Women in Entrepreneurship Academy.
The Network Day also featured an interactive “World Café” in which participants had the opportunity to rotate through small-group discussions with representatives of each DWIH location. The format offered first-hand insights into the unique innovation ecosystems of each region while creating opportunities to connect and explore future collaboration across academia, startups, industry, and public institutions.
DWIH San Francisco thanks all organizers, speakers, partners, and participants whose contributions made this year’s Network Day a success. We look forward to continuing to strengthen transatlantic collaboration and expanding the global DWIH network in the years ahead.
