The panel represents an opportunity for debating on the needs of strengthening cooperation strategy in the field of research and innovation between the EU and China. Focus will be on current programs in both countries.

The co-financing mechanism within the frame of Horizon 2020, coordinated by DG for Research and Innovation (EU) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (China),

foresee funding mechanism addressed to joint R & I projects in strategic and common interest areas of both countries’ economies: food, agriculture, biotechnology, sustainable transport, sustainable urbanization, ICT, energy, health, mobility of young researchers.

To facilitate the mechanism, European Commission intends to allocate more than 100 million euro a year (during the period 2016-2020) to bodies established in Europe for projects involving the participation of Chinese partners under the Horizon program 2020.

For its part, China plans to spend 200 million yuan a year for the benefit of entities based in China who will take part in joint projects with European bodies.

In addition, through the plan “Made in China 2025“, Chinese government addresses the transition of manufacturing sector from a quantity-based to quality-based production: this is the first Chinese ten-year action plan designed to turn China into a world power in manufacturing output. The government is strongly focusing on the automation processes in the industrial sector with the rise of robotics.

Among national objectives of next years, government aims to make the southeastern province of Guangdong one of the most important manufacturing hubs in the country, through investments of over 900 billion yuan for the transition to the use of robots in factories, within an operation dealing with all main industrial sectors, from automotive to textiles, up to electronics and the construction sector.

Among the innovations in the manufacturing sector of its “Made in China 2025”, there will also be the development of internet and cloud computing technologies.