On December 5 and 6, young scientists and experienced researchers came together at the Oberzell Monastery near Würzburg to discuss the central issues of international scientific cooperation on an interdisciplinary basis. In addition to keynote speeches from science and industry, the program offered enough space to discuss the questions of why and how we cooperate with China and to exchange experiences.
The highlights on the first day were specialist presentations by Dr. Ilker Gündoğan (JMU Würzburg), Stefan Geiger (Chinaforum Bayern e.V.) and Dr. Siming Bayer (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, Siemens Healthineers), who gave us an overview of the developments in cooperation with China in science and business, taking into account the complex geopolitical situation, and illustrated the opportunities, but also the necessity of cooperation with China - above all to remain competitive, but also to jointly overcome global challenges. In addition, various target groups of the event had their say in the plenary session: alongside the experienced researchers, students, doctoral candidates and researchers from China also had the opportunity to contribute their perspectives to the discourse on scientific exchange and their experiences in Germany.
The second day was characterized by a direct exchange of experiences between experienced researchers and young researchers. In various group sessions, young researchers had the opportunity to discuss their questions and challenges with researchers from their discipline and across disciplines and to gain practical tips for their own research. The conclusion of the day was that scientific cooperation is still desired and that young researchers are looking for exchange with China, but would like more support in initiating cooperation. Establishing new contacts with China and maintaining an informed dialog with Chinese researchers seems to be particularly challenging at the beginning of an academic career.
We are pleased with the expansion of our network and the lasting contacts made during this time.
You can view the summary of the results on the China Hub platform.
