Life Sciences in China and Austria Research Cooperation Perspectives
| | Datum | 18.05.2009 (12:15 - 17:00) |
Ort |
ARS Seminarzentrum, Schallautzerstraße 4
1010 - Wien | | Summary | "Austria must not miss the train":
Summary of the Information Event "Life Sciences in China and Austria: Research Cooperation Perspectives", 18th May 2009
"Life Sciences in China and Austria: Research Cooperation Perspectives", an event organized by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Science and Research (BMWF), brought together outstanding researchers and experts from China and Austria for discussion and networking. Sharing their experiences and assessments of the current state of play as well as the potential of research co-operations between China and Austria in the area of life sciences, the researchers particularly highlighted the need to first establish trusting personal relations in order to build successful partnerships for joint projects.
Following a brief overview on the present state of research co-operations between China and Austria at the beginning, several Chinese and Austrian researchers undertook a joint "personal mapping" of the enormous "Life Sciences research landscape" in China: They provided short presentations of Chinese research institutes of their affiliation and/or knowledge from research co-operations, e.g. in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. This approach was ensued by a dynamic first panel discussion, titled "Cooperation in practice: Experiences, Opportunities, Challenges". Prof. Guo De-An (Beijing Medical University), Prof. Rudolf Bauer (Karl-Franzens-University), Prof. Günther Bonn (University of Innsbruck), Dr. Georg Buchtela (Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH), Prof. Brigitte Kopp (University of Vienna), Dr. Bernhard Küenburg (onepharm Research & Development GmbH) and Prof. Heinz Redl (Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology) shared their personal cooperation experiences as well as their views on particular opportunities for cooperation in their research fields, as well as "best practice" to deal with the potential challenges for successful and mutually satisfying R&D partnerships, such as cultural differences or intellectual property rights. Prof. Guo De- An emphasized the Chinese interest in multilateral co-operations, pointing out the opportunity for Austria to act as a bridgehead to Europe for China. Austrian researchers, several of whom had recently been awarded "China-Europe exchange visit grants" by the EU-Project "EFBIC Red", emphasized the huge technical and scientific development of life sciences-related research in China in the last few decades. While the support provided by the Austrian government to research co-operations between China and Austria is highly appreciated, researchers called for continued and strengthened support in this area, fearing that the Austrian research community otherwise might "miss the train".
The subsequent second panel discussion addressed key funding possibilities for R&D co-operations between Chinese and Austrian/European researchers and enterprises. Reinhard Belocky (Austrian Science Fund, FWF), Christine Buzeczki (BMWF), Ylva Huber (FFG) and Therese Lindahl (FFG) presented compacted information on national and international funding schemes and answered questions from the audience. The event was concluded with a lively Get-together/Networking session.
Please find below further documents related to the event:
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