Society

A new approach brings China and EU closer

By Huang Shuo (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-03-18 20:01

Although many Chinese scientists have studied and worked in Europe over the last thirty years, very few Europeans have made the reverse trip. The Science and Technology Fellowship Programme China (STF China) has been set up to redress the imbalance by funding young European researchers to work in China. Over 140 Chinese and European researchers and officials joined together to celebrate the success of the first two years of the STF China Programme at a symposium in Beijing on March 17/18.

This reflects in particular the spirit of the 2011 special EU-China Year of Youth to promote intercultural dialogue and to encourage young people to care about and support the development of EU-China relations – be it in general terms or in the field of science and research.

The conference was opened by speeches from Ms Carmen Cano, deputy head of the EU Delegation to China and Mr Clemens Smolders, lead expert of the STF Programme. Plenary lectures were given by Prof Lynn Gladden (Pro-Vice-Chancellor in charge of research at Cambridge University, UK), Professor Ole Fejerskov (Head of the Institute of Anatomy, University of Aarhus, Denmark), Professor Zhang Xi (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University) and Professor Dai Bingran (Jean Monnet Chair in Economics at Fudan University) and they also chaired the presentations by the Fellows.

The 30 Fellows in the first STF intake came to China in April 2009 and after six months of intensive language and cultural training at Beijing Foreign Studies University, spread out all over China to work in some of the country's leading institutions including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Nankai University. The 1st STF Conference highlighted the results of their research covering areas as diverse as zinc oxide nanoparticles for use in solar cells, the breeding of raspberries, the safety of nuclear power plants, China’s anti-monopoly legislation and comparative Western/Chinese philosophy, as well as examining the challenges for European researchers conducting analysis in China.

In addition, most of the 30 STF1 Fellows intend to return to work in Europe, but all intend to retain strong links and cooperation with China and, indeed, three of them have decided to continue their careers in China after the end of the STF1 Programme. The second intake of 30 Fellows finished their language and culture training at end of November 2010, and have just begun their research work.