FCT welcomed the Chinese Ambassador, Dr. Zhao Bentang

On November 16, the Chair of the FCT Governing Board, Madalena Alves, and FCT Governing Board Member Amélia Polónia welcomed the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, Zhao Bentang, with the aim of strengthening and stimulating scientific and technological collaboration between the two countries.

2023 marks 40 years of joint cooperation between Portugal and China in science and technology. The FCT and the Chinese Embassy discussed the possibility of holding commemorative events that represent their strong history of cooperation. With a view to investing in more sustainable research models, a number of thematic challenges were mentioned to leverage cooperation, such as the inclusion of Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge in research in the field of cancer or rare diseases, the digital, energy, and climate transition of society, or the focus on the rich history of Portuguese and Chinese science, without forgetting scientific areas with a strong history of cooperation, such as the ocean, energy, advanced materials, or the humanities.

The FCT will continue to engage in dialogue with its Chinese partners in order to implement some of the actions proposed during this meeting.