| Posted: April 11, 2007 |
Finland and China to cooperate on nanotechnology research |
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(Nanowerk News) Finland is the first EU country to announce a national programme level partnership with China focusing on nanotechnology research and development.
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The cooperation was agreed upon in Beijing on 26th of January 2007, and followed by an official Chinese delegation visit to Helsinki, during Nanotech Northern Europe 2007 (27-29 March), an official China-EU Science and Technology Year (CESTY) event.
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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 commercialisation and industrialisation. The Finland–China cooperation continues actively, with a Finnish delegation next attending the international China Nano 2007 event in June 2007.
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"This co-operation 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 Lämsä, the Manager of Finland's National Nanotechnology Programme (FinNano). FinNano is a EUR 70 million technology programme funded by Tekes, the Finnish funding Agency for Technology and Innovation. International co-operation is an essential part of the FinNano programme.
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"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.
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The China-EU Science & Technology Year (CESTY) was launched by Wu Zhongze, Chinese Vice Minister for Science and Technology and Janez Potoènik, European Commissioner for Science and Research on the 11th of October 2006.
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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. Upcoming events include a Traditional Chinese Medicine conference in Rome in June and the Symbiosis Biotech conference in Barcelona in September.
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"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 commercialisation.
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China-EU relations in the area of Science and Technology have been developing rapidly in recent years and the EU 7th Framework Programme Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (2007 -2013) and China's 11th Five Year Plan (2006-2010) give these relations new impetus.
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