The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the country’s top research institution, formed an alliance with 17 provincial academies of sciences to share resources and improve innovation. Through the alliance, the provincial institutions can take part in nationwide or regional research programs and contribute their expertise, CAS President Bai Chunli said at the founding ceremony. The state and provincial institutions will …
Dutch Professor Runner-up in Peking University Young Teachers Competition
Dutch professor Thijs Kouwenhoven is the first foreigner to ever win a prize at the Peking University Young Teachers Competition. At the twelfth edition of this Young Teachers Competition, he won the second prize for Science and Engineering. Thijs Kouwenhoven is a Bairen Research Professor from the Netherlands at the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University (KIAA-PKU). …
Chinese space probe flies by asteroid Toutatis
The State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) announced last weekend that Chang’e-2, a repurposed Chinese lunar orbiter, has flown by asteroid Toutatis on December 13 at 16:30:09 Beijing Time. During the flyby, it came as close as 3.2 km from the asteroid. Images taken by Chang’e-2 of the asteroid Toutatis(Source: SASTIND microblog) Chang’e-2 is part …
China completes this year’s launches
Turkish earth observation satellite GK-2 is launched on a Long March 2D carrier on Dec. 19, 2012 12:13 a.m Beijing time. (Source: Xinhua) Just a few hours ago China’s Long March carrier rocket series marked its 174th -and this year’s final- flight with the launch of a Turkish earth observation satellite. In total, China completed 19 successful launches this year, …
China to invest 10 billion yuan in aircraft engines
J-20 fighter prototype, to be powered by Chinese engines once in operation. (Source: chinesemilitaryreview.blogspot.com) Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has launched a long-term three-part plan up to2030 to develop advanced aviation engines. AVIC Engine Holdings has allocated 10 billion yuan, or €1.2 billion, for R&D in the first phase of the plan, which runs until 2015. Interestingly, this figure …
Chinese vaccine development
Vaccine development is a focus area of the Chinese government and industry. In August 2012, a HIV vaccine developed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and National Vaccine & Serum Institute (under China National Biotec Group and China National Pharmaceutical Group) entered phase II clinical trial in Beijing YouAn Hospital. It is the first vaccine using replicative …
China at tipping point implementing ‘real’ Smart Grids
China successfully expanded and upgraded its electricity infrastructure in recent years. A strong domestic industrial base for transmission and distribution infrastructure equipment had been developed. The next step to make the grid ‘real smart’ and decentralized will be more difficult, according to a recent study of NOST China officer Dirk Jan Boudeling. With 7,3 billion USD in 2010, China is …
Dutch waste-to-energy & water treatment experts in Shenzhen to advise government
Today four Dutch experts in waste-to-energy and water treatment systems are joining the Shenzhen municipal government in a workshop aimed at providing Shenzhen hands-on advice on how to implement and optimize the energy supply and distribution plan of the Low-Carbon Zone in Longgang district, Shenzhen. The world’s most efficient waste-to-energy facility in Amsterdam(Source: www.amsterdam.nl/aeb/english/about-us/) The experts are from NL Agency, …
China tested its auto-driving car on highway
China successfully tested its auto-driving car on a piece of highway between the city of Beijing and Tianjin last weekend. This 114 km journey took the self-driving vehicle 85 minutes at an average speed of 79 km per hour. The car is able to sense its environment through radar placed on top and cameras installed within and outside. With GPS …
150 tomato genome resequenced
As a sequel of the earlier reported 100 tomato sequencing projected, a new sino-dutch collaboration project aiming to sequence 150 tomato varieties has been started. An international consortium, led by Wageningen UR, with partners from industry, government and science, have started to sequence the DNA of 150 tomato plants. From the Chinese side, BGI Shenzhen will provide Next Generation Sequencing …