The two countries have identified five priority areas for scientific and technological cooperation, with plans to develop a joint programme running until 2030.
Portugal and China defined five priority areas for scientific and technological cooperation on Monday, including energy, health and the blue economy, during the first meeting of the Joint Commission on Science and Technology between the two countries since 2019.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation sent to the Lusa news agency, the 10th Joint Commission, held in Beijing, concluded with the signing of a joint declaration by the Portuguese Minister Fernando Alexandre and his Chinese counterpart, Yin Hejun.
The five priority areas identified are the ocean and the blue economy; energy, climate, batteries and hydrogen; agriculture, bioeconomy and food; health, healthy ageing and medical technologies; and the conservation of cultural heritage through science.
The meeting marked the resumption of work by the Joint Committee, which had been interrupted since 2019, and whose reactivation was agreed upon in June of this year, during a previous trip by Fernando Alexandre to China.
Another outcome of the meeting was the commitment to develop, starting in 2027, a Joint Portugal-China Action Programme for Science and Innovation, which is expected to guide bilateral cooperation until 2030.
Research funding and collaboration
According to the ministry, the two countries will hold technical meetings to define a framework for collaboration that could include bilateral mechanisms for financing research and innovation, researcher mobility, support for technological cooperation between scientific institutions and companies, as well as joint laboratory networks and research consortia.
The statement does not specify the amounts of funding foreseen, nor does it identify concrete projects to be developed within the scope of the future programme.
The joint statement also underlines the importance of ensuring conditions for “safe, transparent and reciprocal” scientific cooperation, respecting academic freedom, scientific integrity and applicable legislation in each country, including European standards in the case of Portugal.
Academic mobility
The two countries also recognised the need to link cooperation in research and innovation with dialogue in the field of higher education, particularly to strengthen academic mobility and promote joint supervision of doctoral programmes.
In a statement released before the trip, the Portuguese ministry had announced its intention to resume negotiations on an agreement for the mutual recognition of academic degrees.
The goal, according to the ministry, was to establish a correspondence between bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to facilitate the mobility of students and researchers.
The statement released this Monday does not, however, mention any concrete progress in the negotiations on this matter.
Portuguese delegation visits China
The official visit of Fernando Alexandre and the Secretary of State for Science and Innovation, Helena Canhão, includes stops in Tianjin, Beijing, and Shanghai, with meetings at universities, research centres, and Chinese technology companies.
The Portuguese delegation includes the presidents of the Agency for Research and Innovation (AI2), João Barros, the Institute for Higher Education (IES), Joaquim Mourato, the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities (CRUP), Luís Ferreira, and the Coordinating Council of Higher Polytechnic Institutes (CCISP), Luís Loures, as well as rectors and researchers from 15 Portuguese institutions.
In Tianjin, the delegation visited Tianjin Foreign Studies University, Nankai University, including its College of Life Sciences, and the research and development centre of the automotive company Launch Design.
The itinerary also includes visits to Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and research institutions in the fields of biology, robotics, and marine science.
In Shanghai, a visit is planned to the Joint International Research Centre for Marine Sciences, created in partnership with the Centre for Marine Sciences of the University of Algarve, and to the ULisboa School – Shanghai University, established in 2021 through a partnership between the universities of Lisbon and Shanghai.
The joint declaration provides for technical meetings in 2027 and confirms plans for Portugal to host the 11th meeting of the Joint Committee on Science and Technology in 2028.