In the focus of the meeting between Palaszczuk and Müller, which took place in Berlin, was the planned expansion of collaboration in the field of medical care and research. Prior to the meeting, a group of experts had established a first proposal for the new initiative called “Berlin-Queensland Alliance”, which aims to promote the exchange of experiences as well as the establishment of joint programs in the realm of digital health and medicine.

According to Müller, the emerging alliance between Berlin and Queensland is an important milestone in the long history of German-Australian relations. The cooperation agreement that served as the starting point for the “Berlin-Queensland Alliance” was formally signed by Müller and Palaszczuk in Brisbane on October 11, 2018.

Since then, expert groups in both countries have worked on identifying more areas of cooperation that could further expand and formalize the emerging alliance between Berlin and Queensland. In addition to digital health, a closer collaboration between medical faculties, joint efforts in the areas of disaster reduction and preparedness as well as in the management of emergency care are also planned.

The next meeting with the Australian partners will take place in Berlin in June 2019 within the context of the Charité BIH Entrepreneurship Summit, which will allow for the discussion of further measures that will promote and intensify the cooperation between Berlin in Queensland in the digital health sector.

In that regard, the new “Berlin-Queensland Alliance” is a good example of how cultural diplomacy and close intercultural relations can stimulate and ultimately lead to advancements and innovations in a variety of different fields and sectors from which many people around the world could profit in the long run.

• - https://www.berlin.de/sen/wissenschaft/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/2019/pressemitteilung.801935.php