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Science and Innovation cooperation between Ireland and China to receive significant funding.
The Minister for Research and Innovation,
Mr. Sean Sherlock TD, together with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Ireland,
Mr. Luo Linquan, today (Thursday) welcomed up to € 1 million of funding over the next 12 months by the Irish Government to advance science and innovation cooperation between Ireland and China. This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2012 on Scientific and Innovation Cooperation between Ireland and China.
A significant level of matching funding from China has already been obtained or pledged.
The funding, under Science Foundation Ireland’s International Strategic Cooperation Award Programme, will focus on a number of thematic areas of co-operation which are priorities in both countries including Agri-Food, Nanotechnology, Biomedical (diagnostics & therapeutics); ICT and Health amongst other things.
Minister Sherlock and Ambassador Luo Linquan
said that the projects involved would contribute significantly to the objectives set out in the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in Science and Innovation signed last year between Ireland and China. Minister Sherlock
said: "Since we signed the Memorandum last year, we have been examining, with our Chinese partners, ways by which we can develop more and more linkages between Irish research groups and innovative companies with counterparts in China. This funding will do exactly that.The awards will provide opportunities for collaborations between Irish and Chinese education and research institutions across a range of research activities. A core element of SFI’s Strategy - Agenda 2020 is to build international partnerships that generate excellent science and deliver economic and societal benefits both nationally and internationally. Building relationships between Ireland and China will have a positive impact on scientific research in both countries."
Led by UCD and NUI Maynooth, the funding will see all 7 Irish universities along with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Dublin IT, Cork IT, Waterford IT and Teagasc partnering in a range of research activities with close to 30 Chinese higher education and research performing entities
.The funding will support programmes of activities including developing relationships across government agencies and industry, developing exchange programmes for students and academics supporting enterprise development, including policy and business model studies, establishing appropriate representative presence in China, promoting Irish research through conferences, workshops and showcasing activities and development of research funding opportunities.
Minister Sherlock and Ambassador Luo Linquan
said that they looked forward to these projects developing a greater cultural understanding between the research communities of the two countries, which will be important for future research cooperation. "We look forward to building on this in the coming years and fully exploiting the joint opportunities offered by our Memorandum of Understanding for the mutual benefit of our Countries", they concluded.