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Launch of the ?China-EU Science & Technology Year: Cooperation for sustainable mutual benefit"

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(2006)

Abstract

The ?China-EU Science & Technology Year? will be launched on the occasion of a Policy Forum organised in Brussels on the 11th of October 2006. Key-note speeches will be given by the European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potocnik and the Chinese Vice-minister Wu Zhongze. Following this will be a Policy Forum will focus on areas of future Science & Technology cooperation including health, renewable energies, mobility of researchers, environment and biotechnology, agriculture, food and animal health. The European Union has engaged into scientific cooperation with the People?s Republic of China in various fields of research since the late 1980?s. A Science & Technology agreement entered into force in 1998 and was renewed in 2004. There are now more than 150 Chinese participants in more than 130 joint research projects for a total amount of about ?850 million. In 2003, the EU and China signed a cooperation agreement related to the European Galileo global satellite navigation programme. A technical training and cooperation centre was established in Beijing while Chinese technicians also came to Brussels as staff members in the joint-undertaking. Both China and the EU are partners participating in the ITER project. ITER is an experimental reactor which will reproduce fusion (a physical reaction that occurs in the sun and stars) on Earth as an energy source. International cooperation is important in the development of a major potential new technology like ITER because the challenges require the best scientific expertise, which can only be harnessed by pooling resources globally. China is also invited to send guest contestants to the EU's annual Young Scientists Contest. From 23-28 September, four Chinese students will be presenting their projects in the fields of engineering and chemistry at the week-long event in Stockholm, while meeting and interacting with their European contemporaries who are also wishing to pursue an interest or career in science. Chinese and European ministers are calling for closer cooperation in the area of Science & Technology as it is evident that both stand to benefit greatly. This will be achieved through the selection of strategic areas for the development of joint, high-level research projects. Increased cooperation will support positive political and trade relations, encourage mobility and bring more solid results. China?s R&D spending is growing at a rate of about 20% per year and it produced 2.7 million graduates in 2005. This potential would benefit growth and job creation in both Europe and China. Additionally, Chinese researchers are also called upon to be involved in research calls under FP7 in areas which will benefit mutual interests, particularly those in line with the new Five Year Plan, which is an entire economic and social framework plan lasting from 2006-2010. The China-EU Science & Technology Year launch ceremony on October 11 in Brussels will outline first-hand where China and the EU stand on Science & Technology policy objectives, particularly in the areas of: health-related research, renewable energies, mobility of researchers, environment, biotechnology, agriculture, food and animal health.

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