IIASA delegation visits IIASA members in Asia

The IIASA delegation will begin their tour in Peking from 29 November to 3 December where they will meet with officials at various institutions to discuss current and future collaboration between IIASA researchers and colleagues at Chinese institutions. Stops on their tour will include the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) – IIASA’s National Member Organization for China – Peking University, and Tsinghua University (THU), where an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IIASA and the university will be signed to advance global research and education.

The content of the MoU summarized:  

Joint PhD recruitment and training: To establish a panel to recruit PhD students in systems science, sustainability, and climate change.

Mentorship for young scientists: THU faculty will mentor and co-supervise participants from IIASA’s Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP).

Postdoctoral Fellowship Program: Launching a program to strengthen faculty research collaboration and develop international interdisciplinary research skills and joint supervision by faculty from both institutions and support for up to five fellows annually (funded by THU).

Collaborative research projects: Focusing on energy systems transformation, carbon neutrality, and climate change and seeking joint funding from governmental and international sources.

Knowledge sharing and conferences: Co-organizing international conferences, seminars, and symposia on mutual topics of interest.

Data and intellectual property: Managing intellectual property and promoting open access to research publications and data.

Interdisciplinary engagement: Promoting consultation and collaboration between staff on mutual topics of interest, and involving other entities to support the objectives.

In addition, Schellnhuber will present a lecture at Peking University’s College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. There are also plans to meet with the Vice-Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.  

Next, the delegation will travel to Seoul in the Republic of Korea, where they will meet with the IIASA National Member Organization for Korea, the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), and with the IIASA National Research Council for Economics, Humanities, and Social Sciences under the Prime Minister to discuss possible collaboration and partnerships.

On the last leg of their trip, the delegation will visit Hanoi, Vietnam. They will attend a meeting with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) – IIASA’s National Member Organization for Vietnam – where governmental representatives in IIASA’s Vietnam network and the Austrian Ambassador in Hanoi will also be in attendance. On Friday, 6 December, Schellnhuber will also attend the 2024 VinFuture Prize Award Ceremony as a member of the award’s pre-screening committee – a diverse team of well-established individuals from varied fields of academia, science, technology, and industry.