Helmholtz funds five collaborative German-Chinese research projects

Since 2012, the association, together with the CAS, has been supporting German-Chinese research projects that are of key importance to society. This year, five projects have been selected from the research areas Energy, Earth and Environment, Health, Key Technologies and Structure of Matter.

The Helmholtz Association and the CAS are jointly financing the projects with up to €155,000 per year over a three-year period.

Strengthening the German-Chinese partnership
“We can only confront the global challenges of tomorrow if we pool our expertise,” says Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz Association. The more research topics grow in complexity, he explains, the more powerful our international cooperation networks will need to become. “We have been fostering a special relationship with China for many years. This joint promotion of German-Chinese research groups has taken the partnership to the next level.”

The projects that have been selected for funding as “Helmholtz-CAS Joint Research Groups” will receive up to €120,000 per year from the Helmholtz Association’s Initiative and Networking Fund, which it established to enable the swift implementation of strategic plans. The CAS is financing the projects with up to €35,000 per year.

“With this funding we are also helping to support talented young researchers of both nationalities and providing them with the conditions that they need to carry out their excellent research, without luring them away from their home countries,” Mlynek says. In this way, he adds, the Helmholtz Association is helping to curb the migration of young researchers out of China as well as to strengthen German research through acquiring excellent research partners. A similar programme with Russia has been running since 2006 – with great success, as Mlynek stresses.

Next round of applications
The next call for applications for the Helmholtz-CAS Joint Research Groups is planned for January 2014. Applications are invited from distinguished researchers in both countries whose research makes a significant contribution to tackling the major challenges of the day. The Helmholtz Association’s Beijing Office supports interested parties with their applications and helps them develop other plans for collaboration.
The Helmholtz-CAS Joint Research Groups selected for funding in 2013
Advanced Laser Technologies for Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Quantum Materials
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Development of Human Norovirus Antivirals
German Cancer Research Centre
Characterisation and Energy Production Strategies of Gas Hydrate Deposits in the Northern South China Sea

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel (GEOMAR)

RevHy – Study on the Synthesis, Structures and Performances of Complex Hydrides Systems for REVersible High-Capacity Hydrogen Storage at Low Temperatures

Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Centre for Materials and Coastal Research

Tailored Interfaces for High-Performance Nanolayered Materials
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving major challenges facing society, science and the economy with top scientific achievements in six research fields: Energy; Earth and Environment; Health; Key Technologies; Structure of Matter; and Aeronautics, Space and Transport. With almost 36,000 employees in 18 research centres and an annual budget of approximately €3.8 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany’s largest scientific organisation. Its work follows in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894).

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