The new research centre is a cooperation between the Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences at Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Oslo Centre for Interdisciplinary Environmental and Social Research and the University of Oslo.
The overall aim of the Centre is to act as a catalyst and mediator for research cooperation between China and Norway within the field of environment. The Centre seeks to facilitate interdisciplinary and policy relevant research and serve as a node for a broad network of associated institutions. Further the aim is to strengthen the institutional and scientific capacity in China to facilitate sustainable development.
The Centre has potential for developing novel approaches linking natural and social sciences within the field of environmental research in a Chinese context. Environmental concerns in China are linked to processes at the local, regional, and global scale. The Centre will engage in research that enhances the understanding of these processes, in terms of both their physical, chemical and biological characteristics and their economic, political, and social dimensions. The activities of the Centre will include research within the following fields: Air pollution, soil and water quality, biodiversity and ecology, impacts of Climate change, Environmental management: From science to policy.
The two-day opening included presentation of SINCIERE as well as presentations, talks and roundtable discussions to present emerging research needs, ideas and interests for future cooperation.