Canada and China Announce New Joint Science and Technology Initiatives
The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics, today announced the launch of 20 new Canada-China science and technology (S&T) joint initiatives. Minister Emerson made the announcement in Beijing with Wan Gang, China's Minister of Science and Technology.
Eight of the initiatives, valued at $10.574 million, are joint research projects.
The other 12 are partnership development activities worth a total of $812,000. The Canadian portion is funded through the International Science and Technology Partnerships Program and is delivered by an arm's-length organization, International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada).
"Our government is committed to fostering the innovation of Canadian researchers and businesses and developing partnerships that will enable Canadians to work together with partners around the world," said Minister Emerson. "Our objective is to have these joint activities result in an increase in commercially viable research and development initiatives, and we look forward to more joint collaboration in the future."
"ISTPCanada takes its mission to help build productive Canada-China partnerships very seriously and is grateful to the participating governments for having the vision and foresight to make these partnerships a priority," added Henri Rothschild, President and Chief Executive Officer of ISTPCanada. "Together with our counterparts in China, we will make every effort to continue building strong and productive Canada-China S&T partnerships."
These joint activities will lead to an increase of commercially viable research and development initiatives, and will assist in the organization of scientific seminars, conferences and workshops.
Canada and China S&T relations have made good progress at the federal, provincial, academic and private-sector levels since the signing of an overarching S&T agreement in January 2007.
This agreement is now one of Canada's most active partnerships with China. Areas of cooperation under the Agreement include energy; the environment; health and life sciences/biotechnology; and agricultural foods and bio-products. Information and communication technologies and nanotechnology have also been added as enabling sectors for the four areas.
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A backgrounder follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific
Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics
613-992-7332
Trade Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-996-2000
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx
Backgrounder
New Canada and China Joint Science and Technology Initiatives
The projects stem from the Canada-China Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation that was signed in Beijing on January 16, 2007.
The International Science and Technology Partnerships Program (ISTPP) is a five-year, $20-million Canadian program, which aims to build stronger science and technology relationships with Israel, India, China and Brazil.
The ISTPP is delivered on behalf of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada by International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada), an arm's-length organization.
Partnership development activities (PDAs)
More than 900 Canadian and Chinese researchers will participate in 12 approved PDAs with a total investment of $812,000 from all partners in Canada and China. Activities under the PDAs, such as scientific symposiums, workshops and seminars, are jointly organized by Canada and China in the fields of bio-agriculture, bio-health, the environment, renewable energy and clean technologies. The Canadian and Chinese researchers represent academia, private-sector organizations and government laboratories.
Joint research projects
ISTPCanada and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology have agreed to fund eight initial joint research projects. The total value of these projects is $10.574 million.
1. Project: Use of seal oil and seal products in the diet of hospital patients
Partners: North Atlantic Biopharma Inc.; the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; and Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou
2. Project: Application of high-yield pulps in the production of high-quality coated paper for multicolour offset and digital printing
Partners: University of New Brunswick; FP Innovations-Paprican Division, Pointe Claire; Tembec Inc., Montreal; University of Toronto; Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin
3. Project: Selective Asphaltene Extraction
Partners: Well Resources; MEG Energy Corp.; Sunshine Oilsands Ltd.; Alberta Energy Research Institute; State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing; China University of Petroleum, Beijing
4. Project: Development of microfluidic chip-based electrophoresis platform and approaches for rapid and high-resolution disease diagnosis
Partners: University of Waterloo; Convergent Bioscience Ltd., Toronto; Nanjing University, Nanjing
5. Project: Enhancement of potato trade by adapting Canada's seed potato technology to meet China's requirements for increased production
Partners: New Brunswick Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha
6. Project: Broadband wireless access terminals: analysis, deployment and air interface evolution strategies
Partners: École de technologie supérieure, Montreal; Wavesat, Montreal; Shanghai Research Center for Wireless Communication, Shanghai
7. Project: Research on constructing the breeding system for the Chinese dairy industry applying advanced breeding technology
Partners: Alta Genetics Inc., Balzac, Alberta; China Agriculture University, Beijing
8. Project: Research on the linear generator system for oceanic tidal and wave energy
Partners: DynaGen Technologies Inc., Halifax; Dalhousie University, Halifax; China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou
