BIO Deutschland Participates in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research Experts’ Workshop on the German-Chinese Life Sciences Initiative

During the first German-Chinese intergovernmental consultations held in June 2011, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology decided to set up a German-Chinese Life Sciences Initiative. Its aim is to enhance collaboration between the two countries in the life sciences. This is to range from collaboration on basic research to inter-company projects. A further aim is to pool funding programmes in German scientific and intermediary organisations in order to increase their visibility in China and to strengthen the presence of German life sciences in China on the whole.

On 3 July 2012, a national experts’ workshop, which included BIO Deutschland, met in Berlin to discuss the German-Chinese Life Sciences Initiative. On the agenda were a presentation of this initiative to an expert audience, an explanation of the aims of the initiative, and a discussion on what it is expected to achieve.

The experts also discussed interest on the part of companies and business associations from the field of life sciences in working with China, with a focus on the question of whether and how the life sciences initiative can play a role in this. During the discussion, BIO Deutschland drew attention to the importance of research in innovative small and medium-sized enterprises above all.

The German-Chinese Life Sciences Initiative’s website is due to go live in the coming weeks.