On November 28th, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, and Italian Ministry of University and Research, the 12th Sino-Italian Innovation Cooperation Week opened in Beijing Shougang Park. The theme of this year’s Sino-Italian Innovation Cooperation Week was “Relaying the High-tech Winter Olympics and Joining Hands for High-quality Development”. Representatives of China and Italy held in-depth exchanges and discussions in fields including the high-tech Winter Olympics, intelligent manufacturing, design and art industries, cultural heritage protection, youth innovation, next-generation information technology, agriculture, food and health, circular economy and green energy.

At the opening ceremony, Yin Hejun, Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, delivered a speech by video. The opening ceremony was attended by Zhang Guangjun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, Ana Maria Bernini, Minister of the Italian Ministry of University and Research, Yu Yingjie, Vice Mayor of Beijing, Massimo Ambrosetti, Italian Ambassador to China, and representatives of Chinese and Italian government departments and scientific research institutions of universities. Zhao Minge, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Shougang Group, and Liang Jie, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of the Shougang Group, attended the meeting. China and Italy signed contracts for four projects at the opening ceremony.

Yin Hejun said in his speech that since its establishment in 2010, the Sino-Italian Innovation Cooperation Week has received the strong interest and support of the governments, scientific and technological circles and business circles of both countries. The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China and Italian Ministry of University and Research have jointly organized the 12th Sino-Italian Innovation Cooperation Week and established a solid intergovernmental cooperation relationship. He expects this cooperation week to become a bridge of friendship between China and Italy which will inject new impetus into the scientific and technological innovation cooperation between both countries.

The 12th Sino-Italian Innovation Cooperation Week lasted for two days and was hosted by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Management Committee of Zhongguancun Science Park, National Research Council of Italy and IDIS Foundation - Italian Science City. Its content covered links including the opening ceremony, ministerial bilateral meeting, parallel forum, one-to-one docking meeting of Sino-Italian science and technology innovation projects, and exhibition of Sino-Italian cooperation projects.

During this Sino-Italian Innovation Cooperation Week, over 300 representatives from more than 150 Chinese scientific and technological institutions initiated project docking with Italian representatives, and nearly 80 “one-to-one” docking activities of scientific and technological projects were held. In parallel forums such as the “High-tech Winter Olympics Forum”, “Intelligent Manufacturing Forum”, “Urban Design, Protection and Innovation Forum”, “Youth Innovation Forum” and “High-end Dialogue of World Leading Parks”, representatives from Chinese and Italian universities, scientific research institutions and enterprises fully communicated and effectively promoted the science and technology cooperation process between the two sides.

It is understood that the Sino-Italian Innovation Cooperation Week is hosted by the Chinese and Italian governments in turn every year. Previously, eleven events successfully held in many places throughout the two countries have led to the signing and implementation of a large number of Sino-Italian scientific and technological cooperation projects, playing an important role in promoting scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, and developing into an important platform for comprehensive cooperation between China and Italy.