Nanotech cooperation progressing

Finland has established cooperative partnership with China focusing on nanotechnology research and development. Finland is the first EU country to announce a national program in this field.

The cooperation was agreed upon in Beijing on January 25, 2007. An official Chinese delegation paid a visit to Helsinki, capital of Finland, during the event of Nanotech Northern Europe 2007 which was held from March 27 to 29 as part of the China-EU Science and Technology Year (CESTY).

The members of the official Chinese delegation were impressed by the high quality of nanotechnology research and development in Finland, in particular the strong focus on commercialization and industrialization.

The Finland-China cooperation continues actively, with a Finnish delegation attending the international China Nano 2007 event in June.

"This cooperation agreement between Finland and China is a strong step forward in an effort to foster a better exchange of ideas, people and resources between China and EU countries," says Markku Lamsa , manager of Finland's National Nanotechnology Program (FinNano).

FinNano is a 70 million euros ($104.05 million) technology program funded by Tekes, a Finnish funding agency for technology and innovation. International cooperation is an essential part of the FinNano program.

"Tekes China is active in building platforms for Finnish companies and research community in China; nanotechnology is one of the fields we have worked on recently. We also promote cooperation within the EU framework," says Juho Rissanen who runs the Tekes office in Beijing. Tekes has offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

The China-EU Science and Technology Year (CESTY) was launched by Chinese Vice Minister for Science and Technology Wu Zhongze and European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potoenik on October 11, 2006.

The aim is to foster a better exchange of ideas, people and resources between China and EU countries. Official CESTY events such as Nanotech Northern Europe exemplify this initiative by providing opportunities for European researchers and companies to build links with China.

Following events included a Traditional Chinese Medicine conference in Rome in June and the Symbiosis Biotech conference in Barcelona in September.

"International partnerships play an essential role in the science and technology development. Successful events are able to attract high-level researchers and experts, as well as industry representatives and investors," says Pekka Koponen, the event director of Nanotech Northern Europe and managing director of Spinverse, a company focusing on nanotechnology commercialization.

China-EU relations in the area of science and technology have been developing rapidly in recent years and the EU 7th Framework Program Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (2007-13) and China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) give these relations new impetus.

Provided by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes)

(China Daily 12/06/2007 page24)