In December, IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, met in Beijing with Professor Dou Xiankang, President of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the IIASA National Member Organization for China. The meeting focused on strengthening long-term cooperation between IIASA and NSFC and exploring opportunities for deeper engagement between the two organizations.
Dou warmly welcomed Schellnhuber and reaffirmed NSFC's strong commitment to its partnership with IIASA. He highlighted that China's IIASA membership level will be upgraded from 2026, reflecting the country's growing engagement in international scientific cooperation.
Dou also introduced the NSFC Global Science and Cooperation Conference, an initiative to be launched in 2026 that aims to establish a core framework for a series of high-level international academic conferences addressing major global scientific challenges. He invited Schellnhuber to join the conference's advisory board and contribute to its long-term vision and strategic planning.
Schellnhuber in turn welcomed NSFC's continued commitment to strengthening cooperation with IIASA and acknowledged China's rapid progress in basic scientific research and key technological fields. He expressed the Institute's strong support for enhanced Chinese participation in IIASA's governance and scientific activities.
"Addressing today's interconnected global challenges requires sustained, trust-based international scientific cooperation," says Schellnhuber. "NSFC, as China’s National Member Organization, is a key partner for IIASA. We look forward to deepening our collaboration to connect leading scientists worldwide and generate knowledge that supports evidence-based decision-making for a sustainable future."
Schellnhuber also expressed the Institute's willingness to co-host a dedicated session of the NSFC Global Science and Cooperation Conference, bringing together leading international scientists, including Nobel laureates, for in-depth discussions on frontier scientific topics, in commemoration of NSFC's 40th anniversary.
Experts from Tsinghua University and Peking University were also in attendance along with Fan Yingjie, Director General of NSFC’s Bureau of International Cooperation, and representatives from the Division of Asia, Africa, and International Organizations.
Adapted from an article published by NSFC. Read the original article.
© NSFC
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