August 2004

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SHANGHAI - The European Union is offering financial aid to Chinese researchers, including specialists in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, under its Sixth Framework Programme.

In the latest manifestation of international interest in China, the EU staged an Information Day here in early July outlining prospects and criteria for Chinese participation in nine major research fields, with emphasis on projects that address environmental problems.

Among other items, the EU expects to make available Euro 56 million for fuel cell and hybrid vehicle systems technology in transportation, including aeronautics. Another Euro 360 million is expected to become available soon in the Sustainable Development/Energy category, encompassing renewables, fuel cells, hydrogen, photovoltaics, biomass, geothermal ocean, solar, CO2 sequestration, among others.

This year, the EU plans to offer some Euro 50 million (about $60 million) in annual aid to qualifying Chinese researchers, a five-fold increase over last year, according to an account in the July 7 “Shanghai Daily.” “We are here to find possibilities of collaborative scientific projects which will benefit both the EU and China,” the paper quoted Juergen Sanders, an official from a delegation of the European Commission in China, as telling the audience.

Some 100 Chinese academics and experts turned up at the one-day event, arranged for the EU by Arno A. Evers Fair-PR, founder and organizer of the annual hydrogen and fuel cell exhibit at the Hannover Fair (H&FCL, May 04), with his Chinese partner, James Ding, of ShenZheng International Business Consultant Co., Shanghai. A China-European Union Science & Technology Cooperation Promotion Office (CECO) has been in existence in Beijing since 2001 (the “Updated News” section of the site hasn’t been updated since then, a quick check last month showed).

Another indicator last month of growing foreign r&d cooperation with China: Westport Innovations, Vancouver, BC, a developer of hydrogen, propane and natural gas engine systems, last month signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Beijing’s Tsinghua University to jointly research and demonstrate hydrogen-compressed natural gas usage in public bus fleets in Beijing and other Chinese cities. Contacts: Arno Evers, phone 049/8151/99892 3; www.fair-pr.com,; China-EU S&T Cooperation Promotion Office, phone, 086/10/621 402 02, web ceco@ceco.org.cn.