Short welcome speech by Martin Dulig

Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport in Saxony

Robots have fascinated young and old for a very long time. With its challenging vision, the international RoboCup community generates impressive results, and by doing so shows what science and technology are already able to do today. In that context, the applicability of these results for industry and the economy, as well as the promotion of young talent, play a very important role. That is a very good fit for us here in Saxony, as the state has traditionally been the land of technology, and has been particularly successful in the future field of micro-electronics. That is not least due to the excellent connections between industry and science in Saxony's Clusters - a key site factor of the free state and the optimal breeding ground for high-tech developments "Made in Saxony".

Investments in innovations are investments in the future, and the fuel that drives economic growth. Therefore the free state provides targeted support to research and development projects and cooperations between Saxon companies and research institutions. Therefore it is not just in our role as host but also as an innovative research location that we welcome the world championships of robots and artificial intelligence as an event that generates new ideas and provides a jump start towards a sustainable future

Welcome!