During a recent working visit to China, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts & Sciences (KNAW) reached agreement with their Chinese counterparts regarding the theme for the new Joint Scientific Thematic Research Programme (JSTP). For the first round, the partners have selected the theme of ‘Integrated water management in relation to climate change and sea level rise’. NWO and KNAW formulated the theme to coincide with the NWO theme Sustainable Earth. The partners are formally opening the first call for proposals, both in China and in the Netherlands, on 15 March. The deadline is 15 June 2009.

The object of this joint research programme is to promote long-term collaboration between Dutch and Chinese scientists. Within the JSTP, Sino-Dutch research teams may submit proposals for joint research projects and theme-based seminars. Each year, the partners will choose a theme to coincide with current research and, ultimately, to cover all disciplines. What is unique about the JSTP is that several partners are involved in both China and the Netherlands, offering researchers wide-ranging access to the research field in both of the countries.

On the Dutch side, funding for the JSTP is coming from the Ministry of Education, Culture & Science (OCW), NWO and KNAW. In China, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences are all taking part in the programme. The Dutch share of the budget amounts to 2.7 million euros. This is the first time that the Ministry of OCW, NWO and KNAW have joined forces in this way for the development of a collaborative arrangement with Chinese ministries and academies.

Procedure

In the preliminary phase, prior to the deadline, NWO and KNAW are organising a workshop in Beijing in May 2009. This will offer selected researchers an opportunity to elaborate their proposals with their (potential) collaborative partners.

Further information about the JSTP will be available on the NWO website from 15 March: http://www.nwo.nl/.