On October 30th, 2007, the Department of International Cooperation adopted international video conference for the first time to jointly review cooperative projects with the foreign side. This move not only guaranteed the project quality, but also saved time and money for delegation visits. It’s a beneficial attempt for review and selection of international cooperative projects in the future.

The project under review is a PSA project at the planning stage. This plan lasts for a total of 15 years from preparation to building strategic alliance. During the first 13 years, the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education, Culture and Science will provide 1.36 Euros per year. In return, MOST will provide 10 million RMB per year. The cooperation is limited to the fundamental research projects which are applicable in material science, biological engineering and pharmaceutics, and environmental science.

On April 13th, 2007, the Department used a video conference to convene the innovation consultation meeting of the 2nd Session of China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue. Such an efficient and convenient form of conference is both time-saving and fund-saving, so it is worth promoting.