Delegation trip to Vietnam and Singapore 2019

The largest delegation ever headed by a Thuringian Minister President visited Vietnam and Singapore in April 2019. Together with Bodo Ramelow, over 100 participants from the fields of business, science and politics travelled to the two South-East Asian countries.

International business contacts for Thuringian companies

The many SMEs in Thuringia face major challenges for the future: These include, not least, the necessary development of foreign markets, as well as meeting the demand for skilled employees. Only through internationalisation and cross-border cooperation can companies and research institutes develop successfully, and without an influx from outside, the skilled labour gap cannot be closed. The LEG foreign trade team “Thüringen International” (TI) and the LEG work area “Thüringer Agentur für Fachkräftegewinnung” (ThAFF) provide active support in this respect.

Goals

Open up access for companies to international markets
Establish business ventures across Thuringia's borders
Finding cooperation partners for business and science
Attracting skilled employees from the international economy

“Tapping into international potential for exports, cooperation and recruiting skilled employees”

Andreas Krey Spokesman of the LEG Management Board

“The big trip to Vietnam and Singapore shows that Thuringia needs to look beyond the horizon when it comes to internationalisation, business relations and recruiting skilled employees – there are interesting partners on all continents to do business with, establish cooperation and find the employees of tomorrow. Our offers are attractive for companies as well as for research institutes and universities.”

Preparation of the delegation trip for Thuringian entrepreneurs

1

The trip, with a three-digit number of participants and more than 60 programme points in two countries, required complex organisation in advance – here TI has access to an appropriate international network and can draw upon many years of experience.

2

The preparations ranged from approaching Thuringian stakeholders with intensive advertising of the travel programme to contacts with international partners in the target countries, including politicians, companies and foreign chambers of commerce.

3

On site, the delegation participants received intensive support and meetings and events were held, including company visits, round-table meetings, cooperation forums with hundreds of discussion options and thematic events.

4

Following the trip, the results were extensively evaluated, and a follow-up and evaluation with all participants took place in order to make the best possible use of the contacts made and to expand them.

New international partnerships

In the course of the trip, a large number of contacts were established and expanded, the participants initiated planning with their Asian partners, concluded cooperation agreements and agreed on the employment of 60 trainees from Vietnam. Among others, the UAS Erfurt, the UAS Nordhausen and the Cluster Innovent e.V. signed three cooperation agreements in Vietnam. Production sites, a German hospital and a training centre were planned. In Singapore, visited for the first time by a Thuringian delegation, numerous individual business contacts were established for the companies; research cooperation was expanded.

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