Activities of CAS Leaders

Bai Cunli Meets with John McDougall

On Oct. 29, CAS President Bai Chunli met with John McDougall, Visiting President of the National Research Council, Canada and his entourage. The two parties held talks on deeper exchanges regarding further cooperation between different institutions and the institutional reform; moreover a cooperation intent was signed between the two organizations. Bai expressed that signing of the intent would lay a new base for the more sound cooperation in fields of astronomy and space physics. Bai also hoped to further the concrete cooperation in priority areas of environment, communications, water resources, agriculture and food security, etc. President McDougall agreed with Bai’s motion and suggested to conduct cooperation on astronomy as the starting point, and then expand to other complementary areas, particularly in energy and environment, aiming to uplift the S&T innovation level.

Bai Chunli Visits Brazil and Ecuador

CAS President Bai Chunli headed a delegation to visit Brazil and Ecuador from Nov. 23 to 29. During his visit to Brazil, Bai attended the Opening Ceremony of World Science Forum (WSF) held in Rio de Janeiro, and chaired the session on “Science for Natural Resources”. Bai also met with Dr. Romain Murenzi, TWAS Executive Director and Mohanmed Hassan, the Treasurer, discussing the relevant issues. Together with other TWAS officials, Bai also exchanged views with Madiha Al Shaibani, Oman Minister of Higher Education, and Hilal Ali Al-Hinai, Secretary General of Oman Research Council, regarding the host of the 2014 TWAS Conference by Sultanate Oman. In Ecuador, Bai and the delegation paid a visit to Ecuadoran Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, and relevant research institutions and colleges,

Li Jinghai Visits Australia

From Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, CAS Vice President Li Jinghai, on behalf of CAS, attended 2013 second meeting of the Executive Committee of the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) held in Canberra, Australia. A decision was made at the meeting that the three organizations of InterAcademy Panel (IAP), International Academy Council (IAC), and International Academy of Medical Panel be merged into one, while the name of the new organization would be decided later through consultation. The meeting also concluded that the next IAP executive meeting would be held in May and November, 2014 to be held in Italy and France separately. Before the meeting, Vice President Li attended the awarding ceremony of the Prime Minister’s Science Prize. Taking the opportunity, Li Jinghai called on Dr. Megan Clark, Chief Executive of CSIRO, and exchanged views on the recent work progress of the two institutions.

Zhang Yaping Visits Australia and Argentina

At the end of September, CAS Vice President Zhang Yaping headed a delegation to visit Australia and Argentina. During their visit, Zhang chaired the Fourth CAS-CSIRO Joint Steering Committee, and he also signed a letter of intent on S&T cooperation between CAS and the Queensland State in Brisbane with Dr. Ian Walker, Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and Arts of the Queensland State Government, in which both sides committed to support collaborative research projects in fields of energy, health, medicine and agriculture biological technology. In the meantime, he took part in some of the activities of the 24TH TWAS General Assembly and chaired the TWAS Prize Committee in Biology as chairman of the committee.

Zhang Yaping Meets with German and Italian Guests Respectively

◆ On Oct. 10, CAS Vice President Zhang Yaping met with Dr. Jürgen Mlynek, Chairman of the German Helmholtz Association and his delegation. The bilateral cooperation driven by the partners’ group program triggered by the two sides in 2011 provided a solid base for the further cooperation, Zhang expressed in the discussion with his German partners. Dr. Mlynek hoped to further the partner relationship with CAS. In their discussion, relevant issues concerned with the concrete cooperation in fields of energy, health, etc. were also explored.
◆ On Nov. 15, Zhang Yaping met with Maria Chiara Carrozza, visiting Minister of Education, University and Scientific Research of the Republic of Italy and her delegation. The two sides exchanged their views on the past achievements in the cooperation and further explored the future more comprehensive cooperation.

Zhang Yaping Visits Germany and France

From Nov. 27 to Dec. 4, CAS Vice President Zhang Yaping led a delegation to visit Germany and France. During their stay in Germany, Zhang held talks with Hebert Jackle, vice president of the Max Plank Society, which were focused on the management of operation of the CAS-Max Plank Society partner institutions, the plan for establishing the Max Plank Center in China and relevant activities for the celebration of the 40th anniversary for the bilateral cooperation between the two parties. In France, Zhang Yaping, as co-chairman of the China-France Foundation for Science and Application of the Chinese side met with the Dr. Laurent Degos, the new co-chairman of the French side. The two parties agreed to sponsor a celebration event for the 50th anniversary for the establishment of diplomatic relation between China and France and the 14th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral foundation through sound and friendly discussions. Further, Zhang Yaping and his delegation paid a visit to the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), and held talks with Prof. Joel Bertrand. The agreement on joint training of the doctoral students was resigned by the two sides. On Dec.3, Zhang Yaping, as chairman of the council attended the council meeting of the Shanghai Institute Pasteur held in Institute Pasteur, France.

Fang Xin Chairs OWSD Executive Meeting

The Executive Meeting of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) was held in Buenos Aires on Oct. 2. Over 20 participants from the relevant international organizations attended the meeting, among whom Dr. Murenzi, Executive Director of TWAS, Senior Consultant to OWSD Consultant Group, Prof. Hassan and other senior officials from TWAS were on the list. Prof. Fan Xin, member of CAS Presidium attended and chaired the meeting. The meeting focused its discussion on the strengthening of close cooperation of OWSD with other international organizations, e.g. TWAS, SIDA, UNESCO, IAP, etc. and on expanding its influence internationally. It was decided that the Fifth OWSD General Assembly and International Conference would be held in Cuernavaca, Mexico from 17-20 September 2014, and the Fourth OWSD Executive Meeting would be held simultaneously. The OWSD Fifth General Assembly and International Conference will be hosted by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology of Estado de Morelos, Mexico, and co-hosted by the Mexican Academy of Sciences, etc. This International Conference will bring together women scientists from developing countries around the world to highlight their experiences, approaches, and participation to scientific research, institutions and industries.