The state-run Saarland Economic Promotion Corporation (gwSaar) is offering numerous support measures to companies wanting to locate in the high-tech region of Saarland. At the same time, it provides Saarland companies with opportunities to market themselves on an international level. Therefore gwSaar is going to organise a trade booth for companies and institutions from Saarland at the “Indiasoft” IT and Software Trade Fair in Pune, India, from 25 March to 26 March 2011. Six IT companies as well as representatives of Saarland University and the Saarland University of Applied Sciences are going to make use of this platform for promoting their company or institutional image and making contacts.

Pune, formerly Poona, is a city located in the Indian state of Maharashtra. India is a high-tech country as well as a leading country in the sciences, with ambitious, aspiring young entrepreneurs and a sales market for consumer goods that is growing exponentially. The India of today is known primarily for its software industry; the ubiquitous computers comprise the engine of its modern economy. No other industry has at its disposal such multifarious insights into the most diverse economic areas. Having contacts with India’s IT sector allows a solid entry into the country — incentive enough for gwSaar to strike an agreement with the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), India, the Indian IT trade facilitation organisation, in terms of future collaboration.

Agreement on future collaboration
This agreement — called a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) — has been signed by Thomas Schuck, CEO of gwSaar, and D K Sareen, Executive Director of ESC today, this very morning. The agreement pertains to the collaboration in terms of information exchange, support and consultancy for trade fairs and informational events in both countries. Joachim Kiefaber, the Saarland State Secretary for the Economy and patron of the MOU, said:  “As a renowned IT location, Saarland has the highest reputation on the national and international level. I am so happy we are able, this way, to make access to the Indian economy easier for more companies and research groups from Saarland.”

Approximately 80 Saarland firms enjoy constant contact with the Indian industry at present; some operate local branches and joint ventures in India. We register with gratification that the volume of merchandise exports from Saarland to India has grown sixfold since 2002. The merchandise value stands correspondingly at nearly 120 million euros by now, with iron and steel still being sold the most in India, adding up to around 54 million euros.

Information technology in Saarland
As a reputable location for both basic and applied research in computer science, Saarland offers a lot of room for cutting-edge research; yet it provides fertile ground and suitable infrastructures for spin-offs from the universities as well as established companies at the same time. Here the great nearness between research and industry benefits all. Actors in research are institutions like Saarland University; Saarland University for Applied Sciences; the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence(Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz, DFKI); Max Planck Institute for Computer Science; Max Planck Institute for Software Systems.
www.informatik-saarland.de