The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) achieved consensus on promoting the institutional partnership and exploring potential cooperation in priority areas for the next stage, after five joint thematic workshops held online from June 16 to June 24. 

Both sides will further collaboration on Climate Change Impacts, Sustainable Agriculture, Health Science and Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and New Materials for Energy, and Marine Science and Blue Economy. 

Being the national multi-disciplinary research institutions in respective countries, CAS and CSIRO have worked together for more than 40 years. The past decade has witnessed the upgrade of this long-standing partnership with the commitment of leadership and involvement of many scientists from both sides, with joint workshop series and research projects co-sponsored by both institutions. 

Both sides agreed to host workshops online this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants reviewed the progress of on-going CAS-CSIRO collaborative projects and defined directions for new collaborative project proposals. 

To tackle emerging infectious diseases in recent years, scientists from both sides agreed to further promote collaborations on tools for fast and efficient detection of infectious diseases. 

Scientists also found topics of mutual interest in Sustainable Agriculture, including drought characteristics and prediction, resilience in cropping, pasture and livestock systems. 

Biomaterials for potential treatments, production, storage and utilization of hydrogen, plastic waste reduction and risk assessment of micro plastics on marine ecosystem health, were also identified as directions for future collaboration.  

About 150 scientists from CAS and CSIRO participated in the five workshops. “It is great to see some new and exciting ideas scientists have jointly worked out for collaboration,” said LI Yin, Director General of CAS Bureau of International Cooperation. 

“We're very grateful for our long-standing partnership with CAS and look forward to continued collaboration between the two organizations”, said Nick Pagett, Global Director of CSIRO.