EU-China Science and Technology Cooperation Mechanisms

LinkTADs D5.1

In an era of closer international cooperation, the establishment of partnerships with different regions of the world is mandatory for fruitful and efficient research.

Do you plan to start cooperation with international partners? What are the major mechanisms of EU-China cooperation? Who are the main players in China in the animal health field? What are the research trends in the EU and China? Where can you find funding support in terms of EU-China cooperation?

LinkTADs team is working on a Summary Report (Deliverable 5.1 of the project) to answer these questions. The report will map the ongoing bilateral projects between the EU and China, describe Chinese research competences and research trends in major infectious diseases of animals as well as identify the opportunities for joint research.

In this blog we would like to share a part of the research results of the Summary Report on the EU-China science and technology (S&T) cooperation mechanism.

Among all the types of cooperation between Europe and China, such as commercial, political, human rights, the cooperation in S&T plays very important role.^[1]The cooperation between Europe and China is currently implemented on two levels, the EU-China level and the EU member states - China level.

As early as in 1998, EU and China signed the Agreement for Science and Technological Cooperation between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the European Community, which allowed Chinese researchers to participate in all research, development and demonstration activities of the EC’s Framework Programmes (FP5 at that moment), and allowed European researchers to participate in similar activities in corresponding fields in Chinese national research programmes.^[2]

In 2013, the Chinese government and the EU signed the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation^[3], confirming the common goal of the EU and China to strengthen the cooperation on peace and security, prosperity, sustainable development and culture exchange. The Agenda also outlines key initiatives to achieve the common goal for each area. Science, technology and innovation (S&T&I) are emphasized as a part of Key Initiatives on sustainable development. Based on the funding source, the major programmes facilitating the EU-China cooperation in S&T&I are generally divided into the EU Framework Programmes and Chinese national research & innovation programmes, such as the National High-Tech Research and Development Programme (863 Programme) and National Basic Research Programme (973 Programme).

Country bilateral programmes between China and the EU member states (MS) belong to another important way of cooperation between Europe and China. Co-funding programmes are the most common way of cooperation between China and EU MS, followed by the implementation of joint labs or institutes.^[4]

In 2012, there were 17 MS co-funding programmes with Chinese authorities, including the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (CAAS), or Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The cooperation priorities of the MS with China are more concentrated on agriculture, climate change and environment, health and medicine, information and communication technology, material science, biotechnology.^[5]

Until the year of 2012, 12 MS had established joint institutes in China with Chinese partners, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom. These joint structures, which may take different forms, are focused on specific fields of research and are mostly located in second-tier cities at specialized research centres.^[6] Within the LinkTADs framework a Joint Laboratory was established between Chinese and Swedish veterinary institutes.

For more information about the EU-China cooperation, especially concerning trans-boundary animal diseases and zoonoses, please stay tuned for the final report of LinkTADs D5.1 Summary Report, which will be available soon on the project website. In addition, all the documents related to strategic EU-China cooperation can be found on the LinkTADs website in the relevant section: EU-China cooperation.