Dr. Philippe Vialatte, the Head of Science, Technology and Environment at the Delegation of the European Union to China, opened the inaugural Tsinghua Careers event on March 28th 2013. Professor Zhang Lihua, the deputy director of Research Center for China-EU Relations attended this meeting and gave a brief introduction about Dr. Philippe Vialatte previous working experience. Dr. Philippe Vialatte has had a fascinating career having worked in Africa for many years which captivated the audience.
Dr. Philippe Vialatte speech centred on the topic of research and innovation and delved into the European Union’s approach to this issue.
Dr. Vialatte passionately explained how, despite the ongoing crisis within Europe, the 27 member states and 13 associated states are proactively investing in research and innovation to alleviate the problems it currently faces. He explained that there exists a clear correlation between economic growth and investing in research. Therefore the EU has dedicated resources to co-finance innovative new projects by top researchers.
The EU’s instrument for funding has been to use the ‘framework program’. Currently in its 7th incarnation. The framework program has been very successful and has been noteworthy for its transparency and the levels of cooperation it has encouraged. In fact there has been around 300 Chinese participants in the 7th Framework program who have taken advantage of funding and cooperation with the EU and European researchers. Interestingly 17 of the participants have originated from our very own Tsinghua University. The current framework program will however be replaced on the 1st of January 2014. The new program is titled; ‘Horizon 2020’. The new incarnation will attempt to simplify the access to the program and encourage even more innovation. To do so they have also committed to a higher budget in the region of €70billion to €100billion.
“Horizon 2020” will focus on three main pillars; science, industrial challenges and societal issues. This however does not restrict or limit options on a particular topic of research; ‘Horizon 2020’ is open to all. Private companies, SME’s and individual researchers are all encouraged to seek cooperation with the EU through this scheme.
The EU also has many other mobility schemes in operation, including the Madam Curie scheme. Chinese researchers can benefit from the wide array of opportunities and funding available to them from the EU.
Upon conclusion of his speech Dr. Vialatte took extra time out of his schedule to also answer questions from the audience.
Writer : Colin Pattinson
