Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor to stand before you today. Look around this hall – we are gathered at a moment when the world is being reshaped by innovation, when trade in services has become one of the most powerful drivers of economic growth.

The China International Fair for Trade in Services is more than a trade Fair. It is a living symbol of openness, cooperation, and shared progress. And each of us here is part of this story.

For more than 150 years, the Steinbeis Foundation has pursued a simple but powerful mission: to connect science and business, theory and practice, knowledge and application. We call this transfer through people.

And let me ask you: isn't that exactly what brings us together here today – people who connect, exchange ideas, and create value together?

Today, Steinbeis is not just a German institution – it is a global network: more than 1,100 enterprises, 5,200 experts in 55 countries, and more than 10,000 projects every year. Together, we have incubated over 2,000 companies and supported more than 40,000 enterprises in Germany alone.

Behind all these numbers are people, ideas, and real impact. This is precisely what makes Steinbeis one of the most successful organizations for innovation transfer worldwide.

Our work is based on the Core Dimensions of Technology Transfer. And I invite you to reflect with me: which of these Dimensions appeals to you the most?

Demand-oriented value anchoring – we do not focus on abstract research, but on the real challenges facing industry and society.

Holistic innovation support – from the initial idea through engineering and prototyping to market entry and growth.

Open ecosystems – we build bridges across borders and cultures so that innovation can flow freely and barriers disappear.

But Steinbeis has gone even further. We created something unique in the world: the Project Competence Study Program – PKS® on the Steinbeis University.

Unlike traditional education, in which theory and practice are separate, the Project Competence Study program integrates both into real innovation projects within companies.

Each student invests up to 3,000 project hours within his Master Study program – generating measurable, documented Transfer Benifits for their partner company.

Education itself becomes innovation. And students do not just graduate – they become entrepreneurs of change.

Now imagine what this model could mean for Sino-German cooperation. Picture the following scenario with me:

A Joint Talent and Innovation Academy, where Chinese and German students work side by side on artificial intelligence, green energy, and new mobility projects.

Fellowship and trainee programs that not only prepare young leaders for the future – they let them shape it.

Cross-border project houses where enterprises, researchers, and students work together to develop disruptive solutions that no country could achieve alone.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the future needs innovation, entrepreneurship, and strong bridges between nations. And no two countries are better positioned to lead this than China and Germany.

Together, we can move forward in five key areas:

1. A global center for technology transfer – combining German excellence in high-tech manufacturing and green energy with China's industrial dynamic and scalability.

2. Joint Research centers – in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, biomedicine, quantum computing, and future mobility to transform research into world-class innovations.

3. Talent development – expanding the Project Competence Study Program internationally to produce a generation of innovators who can bridge cultures and industries.

4. Joint standards – from intellectual property to innovation assessment, offering the world a Sino-Germany solution for fair and transparent cooperation.

5. Sustainable innovation and global responsibility – Accelerate climate adaptation, advance the circular economy, and develop green technologies as shared missions for humanity.

And where better to realize this vision than here – in Beijing, China’s innovation capital? With one third of the country’s top research institutions, strong ecosystems in Artificial Intelligence and new energy, and a strong global network, Beijing is the natural hub for our collaboration.

That is why we founded the Steinbeis Center of Sustainable Technology and Management in Beijing – a platform to: bring global technologies and the project competence study program to China, enable Chinese enterprises to innovate for global markets, build high-end Sino-German partnerships,
and ensure Beijing has a strong voice in shaping global technology standards.

Dear Friends, the challenges ahead of us – from climate change to digital transformation – are enormous. But the opportunities are just as great. Alone, they may overwhelm us. Together, they can inspire us.

By combining China’s size and agility with Germany’s engineering excellence and Steinbeis’ proven technology transfer model, we can set a global benchmark for innovation cooperation.

After 150 years, Steinbeis is ready: ready to connect talents, ideas, and industries; ready to drive transformation; ready to contribute to a shared future of prosperity and sustainability.

So I ask you: will you work with us to ensure that Sino-German cooperation is not only successful, but also becomes a model for the world?

Together, we can make it happen.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish this year’s China International Fair for Trade in Services a great success.

Thank you very much.