China
The NSFC was established in 1986 at the suggestion of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to provide an advanced framework for funding science and technology research in China.NSFC directs, coordinates and financially supports basic research and applied basic research, identifies and fosters scientific talents, promotes science and technology, and pushes ahead economic and social development in China.
Professor Dr. Jie Wang, a Vice President of the NSFC, represents China on the IIASA Council,serving as Chair of the IIASA Membership Committee and a Member of the Executive Committee.
Dr. Yinglan Zhang, Division Direcctor of the NSFC, serves as the NMO Secretary.
Dr. Jingyun Fang, Cheung Kong Professor and Chair, Department of Ecology at the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, is a Member of IIASA's Science Advisory Committee.
Key Relationships and Collaborations
IIASA has partnerships, or is collaborating with many organizations in China, these include:
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
- Energy Research Institute of National Development and Reform Commission (ERI)
- Shanghai Meteorological Bureau
- Yellow Seas Fisheries Research Institute
- Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR)
- Institute of Population Research, Peking
- China Agricultural University (CAU)
- Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP) (CAS)
- Beijing Normal University
- Peking University
- Tsinghua University
- The State Forestry Administration
- National Development and Reform Commission
- The China Sustainable Energy Program
Select Research Highlights
Following is a selection of research highlights relating to the IIASA-China collaboration, for more information about these collaborations read the attached IIASA-China NMO country profile.
Forestry and land management:
- IIASA leads several projects within CATSEI - the EC funded Chinese Agricultural Transition: Trade, Social and Environmental Impacts project. Implemented by six prominent European, Chinese, and USA-based partners, CATSEI investigates the impact of rapid economic transition on China's agricultural economy, with special reference to the consequences of trade liberalization and changing trade flows.
- CHINAGRO: Established in 2001, the IIASA - led study on "Policy Decision Support for Sustainable Adaptation of China's Agriculture to Globalization" engaged in an informed policy dialogue between institutions in China and the EU, with the goal of improving China's food security, increasing farmer's income and achieving sustainable agricultural development.
- IIASA is a participant in a new NSFC funded project, "Assessing the impact of climate change and intensive human activities on China's agro-ecosystem and its supply potentials". The project aims to develop tools applicable at multiple geographical scales that can support agro-ecological planning in the context of growing demand for food and fiber in China, against a background of climate change and increasing pressure on land and water resources.
- A major theme of IIASA forestry research is assessing the global impacts of forest sector and land-use development in emerging economies, with a focus on China, India, Brazil, the Congo Basin, and the Koreas.
Climate and Energy:
- There is ongoing collaboration between China (ERI) and IIASA with regards air pollution and climate impacts. This work draws on the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Control Synergies (GAINS) model developed at IIASA. GAINS Europe covers 43 European countries, while GAINS Asia focuses specifically on China and India.
- China is a major contributor to the Global Energy Assessment (GEA). GEA was launched in Beijing in 2008 by the country Director for the United Nations Development Program, China, Dr. Fei Feng, Director of the Industrial Economics Research Department and Research Fellow, Development Research Centre of the State Council of China, is a co-chair of GEA, with two Convening Lead Analysts positions and ten Analyst positions also held by China.
- IIASA is collaborating with ERI and Tsinghu University in the development of the China "Model for Energy Supply Strategy Alternatives and their General Environmental Impact".
- IIASA and Tsinghua University completed an assessment to determine the best strategy for investing in Carbon Capture and Storage technology in China and the effect of climate policy on the decision-making process of investment into carbon-saving technologies.
- In 2009 IIASA completed an analysis of the economic and energy use behavior of households in China and India using nationally representative household expenditure surveys, the aim was to understand the barriers to enhancing energy access for households.
Risk and adaptation:
- Through Beijing Normal University IIASA is a collaborator on several risk related projects in China, specifically, flooding in the DongTing Basin, which characterized the vulnerability of households, businesses and governments within the region to flood risks and ecological deterioration.
- China is a significant contributor to the IIASA-DPRI (Disaster Prevention Research Institute) forums.
Capacity Building
IIASA's annual Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP), offers advanced level PhD candidates the opportunity to work with IIASA scientists over a 3-month period, with the explicit aim of refining or extending their research skills in the area of systems analysis. Since the first Chinese participant in 1985, a total of 95 Chinese nationals have completed the YSSP.
Special Awards
IIASA offers a number of postdoctoral scholarships, the majority of these are funded through NMOs, with select scholarships made available through external grants.
In 2010 Xiaojie Chen from Peking University was awarded an IIASA postdoctoral scholarship. His research focuses on evolutionary dynamics in biological and social systems, specifically the emergence and stability of cooperation in social networks, using evolutionary game theory and adaptive dynamics.