Conference “European Universities’ cooperation with China”
29 February 2024
Global Partnerships Working Group
Scientific collaboration with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) presents both opportunities and challenges to European universities. While cooperation with China is intense and appreciated in many areas, concerns about China’s motives, a growing awareness of dependencies, as well as political pressure have contributed to discussions on how Europe should position itself vis-à-vis Chinese partners. Caught between a desire to expand research collaboration, knowledge sharing and scientific freedom on the one hand and mindfulness of reputational risks and public scrutiny on the other, European higher education institutions (HEIs) today face significant trade-offs in their collaborations with Chinese partners, particularly in fields deemed sensitive for dual use.
Against this background, the China Competence Centre of the University of Würzburg (CCCUW) and the Coimbra Group (CG) Global Partnerships Working Group invite colleagues from CG Universities to learn about the current state of EU-China relations among HEIs, to exchange experiences with related national and EU policies, and to discuss ways ahead that allow universities to continue cooperation while raising awareness and mitigating risks.
The four panels on 1) developments of EU-China relations, 2) S&T education and science diplomacy, 3) national strategies to deal with Chinese HEIs and 4) Coimbra Group universities’ approaches to cooperating with China, offer significant opportunities to share practices across Europe.
The conference will be held on Thursday 29 February and Friday 1 March 2024 at the Burkardushaus in Würzburg, Germany.
To register for this conference, please send an e-mail at chinacentre@uni-wuerzburg.de with your name, affiliation, and the number of participants.
Should you require support in finding accommodation or have questions related to the conference programme, do not hesitate to contact the CCCUW at the e-mail provided for registration.
Please find here the programme for the event.