For the first time this week, the foundation is hosting an official delegation from the Chinese National Science Foundation - Natural National Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The delegation's visit is intended to cast content for the formal frameworks for cooperation, and to enable the heads of the Chinese foundation to receive information on the map of science in Israel
The National Science Foundation has official relations with the National Science Foundation of China. Even the Chinese recognize that Israel is one of the leading countries in the world in the field of basic research. The Israel Science Foundation is an important pillar in the development of Israeli science and maintaining its quality. At the same time, there is a very rapid development of science in China, both in quality and scope. Understanding that close scientific cooperation between Israel and China is to the benefit of the scientific communities of both countries, the National Science Foundation initiated the creation of formal working relationships with the Chinese National Science Foundation.
As a first step, this week the foundation hosts for the first time an official delegation of the Chinese National Science Foundation - Natural National Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The visit of the delegation is intended to cast content for the formal frameworks for cooperation, and to enable the heads of the Chinese foundation to receive information on the map of science in Israel. The delegation, led by Prof. Zhu Zuoyan, Vice President of the Chinese National Foundation, will visit higher education institutions, meet with the institutions' vice presidents for research, as well as with senior scientists in the main Chinese fields of interest - nanoscience and technology, biotechnology and informatics, agriculture, energy, and more.
The budget of the Chinese National Fund for 2007 is about half a billion dollars. By 2010 it is planned to grow fivefold, up to about 3 billion dollars.
A delegation of the National Science Foundation is expected to leave for China following this first visit, where an agreement for scientific cooperation is expected to be signed, which will initially include holding joint workshops, and exchange of scientists.
Prof. Yossi Klifter, the chairman of the academic board of the National Science Foundation, expressed his satisfaction with the ties forged between the two foundations and stated that he believes that the implementation of the agreement will greatly contribute to the strengthening of cooperation between the scientists of the two countries.
