On June 22, 2021, the Second China-Finland High-tech Field Matchmaking Event & the China-Finland Innovation Cooperation Symposium in the Yangtze River Delta, co-sponsored by the Department of International Cooperation of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and Business Finland and organized by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology, was successfully held both online and offline. The main venue was set in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province and branch venues in Tianjin, Hebei, Hunan and Guizhou. Zhao Jing, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Chinese MOST, Guo Liping, Deputy Director General of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Pasi Hellman, Consul General of Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai, and Nina Kopola, Director General of Business Finland, attended and addressed the meeting.
DDG Zhao Jing noted that, during their phone call on June 21, the Chinese and Finnish presidents reached a consensus on strengthening cooperation in the fields of scientific research, science education and green low-carbon growth and jointly addressing climate change, pointing the way forward for bilateral cooperation in science, technology and innovation. The matchmaking event is an important initiative to implement the consensus of the two heads of state and the outcome of the 19th meeting of the Sino-Finnish Joint Commission on Science and Technology Cooperation, and promote ongoing cooperation on innovation and entrepreneurship. It is hoped that the universities, research institutions and enterprises of the two sides will work more closely to take bilateral cooperation on science and technology to a new level in the post-Covid era. DDG Guo Liping introduced the cooperation between Jiangsu Province and Finland and expressed the willingness to further strengthen cooperation with Finland in the context of integrated development of scientific and technological innovation in the Yangtze River Delta.
Consul General Pasi Hellman said that the global economy continues to recover and will increasingly rely on low-carbon transformation in the future, and there is great potential for cooperation between China and Finland in the fields of clean energy and circular economy. DG Nina Kopola said that Finland, as an innovative country, is willing to maintain long-term cooperation with China, and she was pleased to see Business Finland’s mission of digitalization and low-carbon transformation being reflected in the agenda of the matchmaking meeting.
During the meeting, the two sides had an in-depth discussion in four areas: life and health, smart manufacturing, energy and environment, and smart cities and transportation. Representatives from over 30 Chinese and Finnish institutions conducted roadshows on technology projects and shared cases of successful practices of Sino-Finnish innovation cooperation in the Yangtze River Delta.
About 100 participants, including representatives of the Department of International Cooperation of the MOST, the science and technology departments of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, the Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai, Business Finland and institutions from both sides, attended the meeting at the main venue in Nanjing, while other participants joined the matchmaking at the sub-venues or through the live streaming platform.
