Your Excellency Minister Beate Grzeski
President Professor Yang,
MPG President Professor Gruss,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning!
First of all, on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, I would like to welcome you all, particularly our German colleagues and friends to this event in celebrating the 40th anniversary of CAS-MPG collaboration. I think you all agree that this is truly a historic moment for both CAS and MPG, and I’m delighted to have you all here with us to observe this important moment!
I want to particularly welcome Her Excellency Mrs. Beate Grzeski, Minister of The Federal Republic of Germany to China, and Prof. Yang Wei, President of the National Natural Science Foundation of China to the event. Thank you for your kind attendance and support. Please allow me to thank both the Chinese and German governments for their continued support in strengthening the collaboration between our two organizations.
In 1974, the first visit by Max Planck Society to CAS, headed by Former President Prof. Lüst, kicked off this 40 years of extensive collaboration between the two national science institutions. During the visit, CAS and MPG confirmed the basic principles of cooperation, that is equality and mutual benefits for both sides, and reached agreement to develop a collaborative partnership. Under this partnership, the Academy has trained over 250 doctors through joint training programs with the German institution.
As collaboration deepens, a variety of other joint initiatives have developed, such as Guest laboratory, Research Groups, Partner Groups, Institute for Advanced Study, Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Joint Training Program, Exploratory Round Table Conference (ERTC), and Junma Talent Program. Each of them marks an important progress in our cooperation. We have jointly trained a large number of excellent researchers in a wide range of key frontier areas of research, such as astronomy, life sciences, space science, and earth science, and made important scientific achievements. These researchers have later played significant roles in leading the development of new scientific disciplines in China and in further enhancing the cooperation between China and Germany. It needs to say the CAS students, while in Germany, also contributed to the scientific institutions of MPG.
In 2004, the first CAS-MPG partner institute was established in Shanghai, breaking new ground in data-drive science endeavors such as aging and human brain research, among other highly complicated topics. This establishment has proved a big success in raising the internationalization level of CAS and in promoting reform in its research management system.
Another important cooperation is the ERTC. What it offers is not just a platform for scientists from China, Germany, and others to look into the future of frontier sciences, but also valuable suggestions and ideas for CAS and MPG to further identify and deploy future projects and collaboration. As two important national science institutions, CAS and MPG share lots of similar visions and responsibilities. Therefore, we have developed a collaborative program for the joint training of PhD students, as well as collaboration to raise the public awareness on the value of science. Our partnership has contributed the extensive collaborations between other Chinese and German institutions.
Over the past four decades, CAS and MPG have built a profound friendship and trust through close and active scientific collaboration, and created a model for international cooperation often referred to as “a typically successful example”. In this process, we have learned from each other and reached lots of consensus and agreement on the principles of international cooperation, which I would like to illustrate here. In general, a successful partnership requires four key elements.
First, mutual respect and trust. These are essential to the success of international collaboration. How can two organizations with different cultural backgrounds and varied perspectives come and work together efficiently and successfully? Only by mutual respect and trust, and the sharing similar visions on science, can we work closely together to address common challenges, and to promote science development, and to bring benefits to us all.
Second, people. People are the most central part of collaboration. Here, by “people”, I do not only mean “scientists”, but also wise correct leadership and dedicated administrative staff. Looking back on our 40 years of collaboration, I cannot help but feel sincere appreciations for the far-sightness and courage of our predecessors’ resolution to develop collaboration and partnership. What’s more, I admire people like Prof. Uli Schwarz, who dedicated his life-long career to the promotion of international cooperation, and many more who have generously devoted their intelligence, wisdom and time. It is people like them who have paved the way for the steady advance of the CAS-MPG collaboration, and have allowed us to steadily move on and on and up from one stage to another.
Third, complementarity and mutual benefit. These are the driving forces behind collaboration. Due to historical reasons, China’s S&T development was far behind Germany. At the initial stage of our collaboration, we received much help from our German partners. With the development of Chinese economy and the progress of science and technology in China, CAS scientists have been engaged in activities contributing more and more to MPG’s work. I think it is fair to say that our partnership has reached a new state of mutual benefits.
Fourth, novel instruments of collaboration. These are catalysts for inspiring new collaborative activities. With the development of cooperation in depth and scope, a full range of collaboration has developed at different stages. Some are targeted at attracting and training international talent, some are aimed to promoting exchanges and communications of knowledge and information, other programs are focused on joint strategic research projects. Each has its own value in meeting the demands of development, and has encouraged generations to join in the collaboration.
In 2013, CAS decided to implement an internationalization strategy, with the aim to further internationalize its research and education, to build a world-class science institution and become a global center of excellence in research, education and innovation. One major effort in the strategy is to launch an international outreach initiative to deepen cooperation with the developing countries in research and education, while strengthening with the developed economies.
Concerning internationalization, I would like to mention again the importance of our Partner Institute for Computational Biology based in Shanghai, named PICB for short. PICB has provided a host of inspiring ideas and experiences in CAS’ internationalization process, such as how to bridge the gap in management and culture between CAS and international partners, how to build an international environment for researchers from different countries and cultures to work together, and how to make a cross-cultural research unit grow rapidly and robustly. All these questions have been effectively answered throughout the development process of PICB in the past decade. Without any doubt, it has served as a pilot project and a testing field for the internationalization of both MPG and CAS.
We deeply cherish the friendship between CAS and MPG. It is the outcome of hard work of many generations through the efforts of four decades. We attach great importance to this collaboration. It is a win-win strategic partnership and a shining model for other bilateral relationships to follow.
Let us hope and anticipate that this partnership will continue to grow with our joint efforts, and help bring our two nations closer for a better future of the whole world.
Thank you all!
