"Bioforsk and HAAS have been preparing for this for some time", says Dr. Jihong Liu Clarke, China project coordinator at Bioforsk. "Now the cooperation is formalized and the center has established office and lab facilities at HAAS, in Harbin. The research tasks will be concentrated around potato-research, climate issues and sustainable agriculture."
"HAAS and Bioforsk have had a close dialogue for quite a while", says Mr. Harald Lossius, CEO of Bioforsk. "We recognize that we have common challenges, we have established good personal relations, and we also have many common interests when it comes to research."
Mr. Lars Peder Brekk, the Norwegian Minister of Food and Agriculture, appreciates the formalization of the cooperation between Bioforsk and HAAS. "This is great. Food security is of international interest and concern, and all research that can contribute to a positive development in this area is a step in the right direction", says Mr. Brekk. "It is of great value that we are now able to establish good contacts within the Chinese agricultural research system. It is also my hope that Norway can contribute internationally, and I hope the Norwegian model, representing a close connection among research, bureaucracy and business can be a positive contribution in China."
Mrs. Kari Kveseth, Counsellor of Science and Higher Education with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, emphasizes that the establishment of this joint center is important and well in line with the ambitions to increase cooperation which were expressed in the research agreement signed between the two countries in 2008. The strengthened cooperation between Chinese research institutions in Harbin and Norway has a great potential for the two countries, in particular within the food production and safety.