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First IT Summit

DW staff (win)December 17, 2006

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to announce Monday at the country's first IT summit that her government plans to fund the sector with 1.2 billion euros ($1.57 billion) over three years, according to a report.

https://p.dw.com/p/9Xp3
Merkel: Germany can do better than simply host the world's largest IT trade fair, CeBITImage: picture-alliance/dpa

The money is aimed to help boost Germany's information technology (IT) sector as part of the government's high-tech strategy, which is funded with an extra six billion euros over the next three years.

"Germany has invented the computer but today only plays a small part in further developments," Merkel said in her weekly video podcast on Saturday. "'Made in Germany' has to become a sign of quality in this area again as well."

The chancellor added that several focus areas had already been identified: Her government plans to support the replacement of barcodes with radio chips on products, improve customer service at call centers and help develop a new Internet search engine.

Monday's meeting, which takes place at a software engineer training center privately funded by Hasso Plattner, the founder of software firm SAP, will bring together users and developers of communications and information technology, Merkel added.

While the chancellor will be accompanied by several of her ministers at the summit, the CEOs of Germany's leading IT companies are expected to attend as well.

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