Issue # 3 rd March 2011

Transcription

1 Institute on Membrane Technology ITM-CNR Harbin Institute of Technology School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering Dept of Municipal Engineering Issue # 3 rd March 2011 Sino-EU Membrane Science and Technology Research and Development Center, Weihai (China page 1

2 page 2

3 Prepared by Enrico Drioli Lidietta Giorno Maria A. Liberti Emma Piacentini Jun Ma Heng Liang Yuxin Ma Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR) c/o University of Calabria Via P. Bucci 17/C Rende CS - Italy Harbin Institute of Technology School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering Dept of Municipal Engineering 202 Haihe Road, Nangang Dist, Harbin PR China Sponsored by Sino-EU Membrane Science and Technology Research and Development Center, Weihai (China) page 3

4 Summary from Europe 5 Open Calls 9 Projects in progress 18 News/Highlights 20 from China 23 Open Calls 23 News/Highlights 27 Membrane related Projects in China 29 Announcements 35 Upcoming events 36 Past events 41 List of events of interest 43 Overview of books on Membrane Technology 45 Focus on Research 47 page 4

5 from Europe Opportunities for Europe-China Co-operation within current FP7 calls (Work Programmes 2011) Hereunder is a document prepared by the Science and Technology Section of the EU Delegation to China, which is a list of all topics of particular interest for Chinese participation in the current calls, published for the most part last July 20, Specific opportunities for Europe-China research collaboration in current FP7 (7 th Framework Programme for research) calls are outlined in this document. The objective is to highlight the topics or activities of particular interest for Chinese participation in the current calls. Although FP7 is open to international cooperation, the topics and calls set-out here from the Work Programmes of 2011 are those which target China or Asia, or international co-operation more concretely. This selection covers all 2011 Work Programmes for the main subprogrammes of FP7: Co-operation (collaborative research), Capacities, People (fellowships and career development), Ideas (European Research Council) and Euratom (Nuclear Energy). The European Commission s main pot of funding for research is FP7 (or the 7 th Framework Programme). The approach to International Co-operation is essentially bottom-up, with researchers from the 27 European Union member states, the associated countries and in addition, third countries (countries other than the EU27 or associated countries) teaming up to submit proposals to the calls. However, the Commission may target the co-operation with a specific country or region. It can, for example, make their participation mandatory, as in the Specific International Co-operation Actions (SICA) where participation of countries on the list of 'International Co-operation Partner Countries (ICPC) is an eligibility requirement. More strategically, the Commission and a Third Country may define topics for co-ordinated calls, which are co-funded by the two sides, (though there are no co-ordinated calls with China in the current work programmes). China is considered an ICPC country and is therefore eligible to participate as such in the SICA topics and to receive EU funding. Moreover, for participation in the 'Specific international co-operation actions' China may be considered individually as a region on its own. Thus, the required two or more partners can be located in these countries. However, in this case, at least two different partners from different provinces within China are necessary. China has a Science and Technology (S&T) agreement with the EU. The INCO reference in the text means international co-operation. Please see more detailed information about these topics in the Work Programmes for 2011, and annexes (listing the ICPC information) here: To find a call for proposals, including application information, eligibility and selection criteria, and the electronic proposal submission system, go to: Co-operation: Health SICAs - HEALTH : Comprehensive control of Dengue fever under changing climatic conditions (target regions: Latin America and Asia). - HEALTH : Genetic and environmental factors in obesity and/or diabetes in specific populations. (target regions: Mediterranean countries, Africa, Asia, Latin-America). One project/a region will be selected. - HEALTH : Building sustainable capacity for research for health and its social determinants in low and & middle income countries. Target countries: ICPC countries. "The aim is to achieve a balanced level of participation for ICPC countries. The aim is to promote health scientists from ICPC countries along with their institutions and research networks in order to create a sustainable and attractive research landscape for interdisciplinary research for health and its social determinants". Coordinating and Support Actions. Targeted opening or encouraging international co-operation - HEALTH : Organisation of supporting actions and events related to the Presidency of the European Union: non EU countries are encouraged to participate - HEALTH : ERA-NET on diabetes prevention and treatment. It should integrate as appropriate international projects, both EU funded and not, that address research on diabetes and its prevention and treatment. page 5

6 Co-operation: Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology Targeted opening or encouraging international co-operation - KBBE , New/next generation of researchers for Neglected Zoonoses at the animal-human interface, ICPC, particularly Africa, Support Action. - KBBE , Role of aquaculture in improving food security and eradicating poverty worldwide, ICPC, Support Action - KBBE , Reducing post-harvest losses for increased food security, ICPC, SICA - KBBE , Perennial grasses: optimising biomass production, ICPC, SICA - KBBE , BioWASTE -Novel biotechnological approaches for transforming industrial and/or municipal biowaste into bioproducts, ICPC - KBBE , Deepened and enlarged European co-operation in the area of Molecular Plant Sciences, ERA-NET, International Co-operation encouraged - KBBE , Translating knowledge on flowering time to improve breeding efficiency (Europe and other regions, possibly LA) - KBBE , Management and control of increased livestock parasite infection risks due to global change (International co-operation encouraged, global) Co-operation: ICT 2.3 Targeted opening or encouraging international co-operation INCO funding earmarked: - Objective ICT Virtual Physiological Human. A maximum of EUR 3 million will be reserved for third country participants from USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Russia. (ICT Call 7 and 9). - Objective ICT : International co-operation on FET research. Additional funding to existing grant for on-going FET1 IP and STREP projects ending at least 18 months after the submission date of the proposal. Indicative budget: EUR 3 million. - Objective ICT : Exa-scale computing, software and simulation. Coordination of international cooperation: Supporting a common European strategy and a driving role for European stakeholders in international efforts on the development of future extreme-scale HPC systems. CSAs: EUR 1 million, ICT Call 7. - Objective ICT : International partnership building and support to dialogue. Target a: ACP, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, High Income Countries, Latin America, Mediterranean Partner Countries and West Balkan Countries. Target b: Low and middle income countries, including Africa. CSAs and STREPs/SICAs for 6 M total, calls 7 and 9. INCO funding not earmarked - Objective ICT Future Networks. Coordination and Support Actions and Networks of Excellence. Support to concrete initiatives/projects for international co-operation, notably with USA and Japan, in identified priority topics such as cognitive radio. - Objective ICT Internet-connected objects. Coordination and support actions. Analysis of international research agendas and preparation of concrete initiatives/projects for international collaboration, notably with China, Japan, USA and Brazil. - Objective ICT Networked Media and Search Systems. Coordination and Support Actions. Analysis of international research agendas and roadmaps, pre-standardisation initiatives and preparation of concrete initiatives/projects for international co-operation. - Objective ICT Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE). FIRE Experimentation: Where appropriate, participation from international co-operation countries at use level is encouraged. Coordination and Support Actions: international co-operation with initiatives in industrial countries and emerging economies. - Objective ICT Very advanced nanoelectronic components: design, engineering, technology and manufacturability. Coordination and Support Actions: International co-operation, in particular with the USA, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. - Objective ICT Smart components and smart systems integration. Coordination and Support Actions: Linking of R&D strategies and stimulation of international co-operation. - Objective ICT Computing Systems. International Collaboration: The purpose is to analyse international research agendas and to prepare concrete initiatives for international collaboration, in particular with the USA, India, China and Latin America, for all topics of this objective. Separate proposals per geographic area are expected. page 6

7 - Objective ICT Core and disruptive photonic technologies. Coordination and support actions: Targeted international co-operation activities driven by stakeholders representing the photonics community, aiming at the identification and development of "win-win" cooperative activities, including for example pre-standardisation, with selected industrialised countries. - Objective ICT Flexible, Organic and Large Area Electronics and Photonics. Coordination and Support Actions: Targeted international co-operation activities particularly with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA, aiming at the identification and development of "winwin" co-operation. - Objective ICT ICT for Ageing and Wellbeing. Coordination frameworks: strengthening the development of standards and international co-operation with North America and Asia. - Objective ICT Low carbon multi-modal mobility and freight transport. Coordination and Support Actions: Support to research agendas for energy efficiency, international co-operation, user awareness raising and dissemination of research results, international standardisation and harmonisation. - GC-ICT (GC-ICT ) ICT for fully electric vehicles. Coordination and Support Action FEV made in Europe : One action for the coordination of a Full electric vehicles (FEV) Strategic Research Agenda for ICT, including actions for international collaboration. - FoF-ICT Digital factories: Manufacturing design and product lifecycle management. Comprehensive engineering platforms: Projects should also contribute to ongoing international cooperation activities (e.g. IMS) on sustainable engineering and on standardisation for long-term archiving of product information. - Objective ICT : Challenging current Thinking. Actions aiming to strengthen the international dimension of FET. - Objective ICT : FET Proactive: Unconventional Computation (UCOMP). Global international research co-operation in this area, in particular with participants from the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Japan. - Objective ICT : FET Proactive: Dynamics of Multi-Level Complex Systems (DyM-CS). World-class international research co-operation, global alliances in this research area, and links with similar actions outside Europe, in particular with participants from USA, Japan, New Zealand and China. - Objective ICT : FET Proactive: Neuro-Bio-Inspired Systems (NBIS). World-class international research co-operation, global alliances in this area, and links with similar actions outside Europe, in particular with USA, Japan and BRIC. Co-operation: NMP -General opening of topics to international co-operation Co-operation: Energy -General opening of topics to international co-operation Co-operation: Environment (including climate change) Targeted opening or encouraging international co-operation - ENV Impacts of a global temperature increase up to 2 C from pre-industrial level, in Europe and most vulnerable regions of the world, international co-operation encouraged (large project) - ENV Scientific support to development of Monitoring, Reporting and Verifying methods relevant at EU and international level, international co-operation encouraged (small targeted research project) - ENV Combined exposures to environmental agents: integrated approaches to evaluate environment health relationships in children, international co-operation encouraged (large project) - ENV Towards real-time earthquake risk reduction, leading teams from Japan, US, China, India, Taiwan, Mexico, Chile should collaborate (large project) Co-operation: Transport (TPT) SICAs - GC.SST : Integrated intermodal traveller services (Brazil, China and Russia) - TPT : Transport needs for an ageing society (ICPCs), also listed as a targeted action for other countries e.g. USA, Japan etc. - TPT : Enhanced cross-fertilisation and synergies in research actions dealing with safety aspects (ICPCs), also listed as a targeted action for other countries e.g. USA, Japan etc. - TPT : A productive international co-operation to strengthen the European transport research area and face global challenges (ICPCs) Targeted opening or encouraging international co-operation - TPT : Transport needs for an ageing society (Japan, USA, etc.), also listed as a SICA for other countries (ICPC) page 7

8 - TPT : Enhanced cross-fertilisation and synergies in research actions dealing with safety aspects (Japan, USA, etc.), also listed as a SICA for other countries (ICPC) - GALILEO : International activities (non-european countries) Co-operation: Social Sciences and Humanities Targeted opening or encouraging international cooperation - SSH Transatlantic relations in the context of global governance architecture and relationships with other powers Capacities: Science in Society - SiS Involvement of civil society organisations in research - SiS A Forward look at new ways of doing and organising research - SiS Reinforcing European strategies on access, dissemination and preservation of scientific information in the digital age - SiS Science-Society interaction in the digital technologies era Co-operation: Space SICAs - SPA Facilitating access to space for small scale research missions. Targeted opening or encouraging international co-operation - SPA Exploitation of space science and exploration data (ICPCs, countries with S&T agreement, space faring countries e.g. Japan, Russia, USA) - SPA Research and development for space exploration (ICPCs, countries with S&T agreement, space faring countries e.g. Japan, Russia, USA) - SPA Trans-national and international co-operation among NCPs Framework Programme: Euratom Targeted opening or encouraging international co-operation - Fission : Research activities in support of implementation of geological disposal (all third countries) - Fission : Support for regulatory functions in the area of geological disposal (all third countries) - Fission : R&D activities in support of the implementation of the strategic research agenda of SNE-TP (all third countries) - Fission : Contribution to low-dose risk research in Europe (al third countries) - Fission : Transnational access to large infrastructures (access to researchers from third countries could be envisaged, where such access is part of the promotion of broader international co-operation with the countries concerned) Fission : Euratom fission training schemes (EFTS) in nuclear energy and radiation protection (all third countries) Capacities: Infrastructures Targeted opening or encouraging international co-operation Topics opened in Call FP7-INFRASTRUCTURES (call N 8, July 2010); budget for CSA: 9M - INFRA : Coordination and support actions to international co-operation for research infrastructures in all fields of S&T. This topic is targeted, in particular, to support specific needs of the global ESFRI projects that require more efforts to negotiate with international potential partners. Other relevant international co-operation activities related to research infrastructures projects or policies could also be supported. Topics opened in Call FP7-INFRASTRUCTURES (call N 9, July 2010); budget for CSA: 4M - INFRA : Coordination actions, conferences and studies supporting policy development, including international co-operation, for e-infrastructures providing support for e-infrastructures. Capacities: International Co-operation INCO INCO-LAB -China (supporting action) EUR 2.00 million People: FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IRSES International Research Staff Exchange Scheme FP7-PEOPLE IEF Intra-European Fellowships FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IIF International Incoming Fellowships FP7- PEOPLE-2011-IOF International Outgoing Fellowship page 8

9 Open Calls 7 th Framework Programme Programme Theme Call Identifier Call Title Deadline Activities of Strengthening joint European S&T centres Capacities International FP7-INCO in Third Countries - INCO-HOUSE Cooperation Capacities Capacities Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Cooperation Euratom Ideas Ideas People People People Activities of International Cooperation Activities of International Cooperation Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies Energy Transport (including Aeronautics) Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV- SP1) Information and Communication Technologies Information and Communication Technologies Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV- SP1) Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV- SP1) Information and Communication Technologies Information and Communication Technologies Nuclear Fission and Radiation Protection ERC ERC Marie-Curie Actions Marie-Curie Actions Marie-Curie Actions FP7-INCO FP7-INCO Reinforcing Cooperation with Europe's neighbours in the context of the ERA Strengthening European research facilities in third countries - INCO-LAB ARTEMIS ARTEMIS Call 2011 FP7-NMP EU-RUSSIA ENIAC FP7-ICT SME-DCL FP7-ICT SME-DCL SP1-JTI-CS SP1-JTI-CS FP7-ICT-2011-C FP7-ICT-2011-C FP7-Fission ERC ADG_ ERC ADG_ FP7-PEOPLE CIG FP7-PEOPLE IRSES FP7-PEOPLE EURAXESS-II Theme 4 NMP - Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies Coordinated call EU-Russia 2011 Energy Call Part 2 FP7- SUSTAINABLE SURFACE TRANSPORT (SST)-2011-MOVE Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV- SP1) FP7-ENERGY FP7-SST-CIVITAS MOVE ENIAC Call SME Initiative on Digital Content and Languages SME Initiative on Digital Content and Languages Clean Sky JTI Clean Sky JTI FET Open FET Open Nuclear Fission and Radiation Protection ERC Advanced Investigators Grant ERC Advanced Investigators Grant MARIE CURIE CAREER INTEGRATION GRANTS (CIG) Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) Trans-national operation of the "EURAXESS Services Network II": page 9

10 Erasmus Mundus Call for proposals Source: Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) website at: Erasmus Mundus programme has lunched the 2011 Call for proposals (EACEA 41/10) which was announced in the Official Journal of the European Union (C341) on December 16, This Call for Proposals aims to support projects under all three Actions of the programme: Action 1: Joint Programmes including scholarships EACEA/41/10 29/04/2011 Action 2: Partnerships with Third Country higher education institutions (including scholarships) Action 3: Promotion of European higher education The deadline for the submission of applications under all three Actions is April 29, The program supports joint masters and doctoral degrees as well as mobility partnerships between European and non-european higher education institutions (HEI), including Chinese HEIs. In this framework, it offers scholarships for students and doctoral candidates from all over the world. 5 mobility partnerships projects exclusively targeted at China have been selected for the whole period and 4 joint degrees programs (2 masters and 2 doctorates) including Chinese HEIs have already been selected to be supported. You can find a list of joint degree programmes supported through Ersmus Mundus, including those with Chinese participation, in this compendium. Other calls for proposals not exclusively targeting China but nonetheless open to partnerships with China are published on a regular yearly basis, the last one being this 2011 call for proposals. page 10

11 SWITCH-Asia: Promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production Call for Proposals Source Links: The regional environment programme SWITCH-Asia, is aiming to promote the adoption of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) among Small and Medium sized Enterprises and consumer groups in Asia. The programme is in line with the EC Regional Strategy Paper for assistance to Asia ( ). Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) is an attempt to reconcile the increased demand for goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, in order not to jeopardize the needs of future generations. SWITCH-Asia is building on the former Asia Pro Eco and Asia Invest programmes, which were implemented by the EuropeAid Cooperation Office until There are four main results to be expected from the programme: 1. Increased use of environmentally-friendly technologies and practices by SMEs; 2. A switch to consumption of products that are less environmentally damaging; 3. Reinforcement and implementation of legal environmental and safety instruments; 4. Development and application of effective economic instruments that enhance SCP. A new Call for Proposals has been launched under the SWITCH-Asia Programme on 22 December 2010 with deadline for submission of concept notes on 14 March Overall budget: Co-financing: o 80 % of the total estimated total accepted costs (90% for least developed countries) o 20% of balance financed from the applicant's or partners' own resources - Duration of the projects: months - Grant amounts: min max The major beneficiaries are: (i) Intermediary (business) organisations and networks (e.g. chambers of commerce and industry associations); (ii) Not-for-profit organisations aiming at pursuing sustainable development, and (iii) Governmental institutions, both at the regional and local level1. The major target groups are: (i) Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)2 which are the main beneficiaries from the improved environmental practices, environmental technology and management; (ii) Consumer organisations and consumer (groups) who will benefit from the better-quality products; (iii) Government bodies responsible for policy formulation and implementation. page 11

12 DAAD Scholarship Programmes for Studies in Germany 2011 Source: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) website: Research Grants for Doctoral Candidates and Young Academics and Scientists Application deadline for research grants to run for more than six months: 20 March each year at the China Research Council (CSC) and DAAD Beijing Branch Office. Applicants from the People's Republic of China for research grants are generally expected to be able to prove that they have a basic knowledge of German at the time of the beginning of the grant. Exception for applicants from the field of medicine: These applicants should already have a good knowledge of the German language. Applicants must be able to prove that they have completed their Magister studies at a Chinese higher education institution (shuoshi). At the time of application, generally no more than six years should have passed since the applicant gained the last degree. In the case of doctoral students, no more than three years should have passed since starting the doctoral process For research grants to run for more than six months: The CSC issues a flight ticket to cover the international travel costs. Applications for research grants to run for up to six months: any time, but at least five months before the intended beginning of the grant. For research grants to run for up to six months: The DAAD issues a flight ticket to cover the international travel costs. Applicants are expected to have a solid knowledge of German language (TestDaF 4x4) or English language (IELTS 5,5 or TOEFL ibt 80 or TEM 8) Research stays for University Academics and Scientists Application at DAAD Beijing office Application deadline: 15 August for grants to begin between January and June, 30 January for grants to begin between July and December. The DAAD pays a flat rate travel allowance for the journey to and from. Re-invitation Programme for Former Scholarship Holders Application address: DAAD Beijing Office Application deadlines: 15 August for grants to begin between January and June 30 January for grants to begin between July and December The DAAD pays a flat rate travel allowance for the journey to and from. Bilateral Exchange of Academics Postdoctoral academics and scientists from China and Germany working at universities or university-related research institutes can, within the scope of this bilateral agreement between the DAAD and the Ministry of Education in the People s Republic of China, be invited to Germany or China, respectively, to carry out joint research projects or to complete research stays. Applications by Chinese academics and scientists are forwarded to the DAAD via the Ministery of Education Dept. for International Cooperation und Meeting Damucang Hutong No. 37, Xidan Beijing, VR China (Fax: ). Applications by German academics and scientists are sent to the DAAD. Lecture trips and conference visits cannot be funded. Stays should last at least between two and three weeks, but should not exceed three months, however. Study Visits / Study Seminars and Practicals in Germany by Groups of Foreign Students Application address: German Embassy Beijing or DAAD Office Beijing Practical Traineeships for Foreign Students of Natural and Technical Sciences, Agriculture and Forestry (IAESTE) Information on applications available from the Council for International Training and Development (CMD) page 12

13 Room 1405, Huaneng Union Building, No 958 Jujiazvi Huan Road Shanghai VR China Bilateral DAAD Programmes for Co-operative Research Grants (PPP) The programme aims to intensify cooperation between Chinese and German research groups by a projectrelated exchange. It attaches particular importance to the in-service training and specialisation of young researchers. On the German side, applications are open to university teachers and researchers who are employed by a German university or a non-university research institution. Applications are open to concrete scientific research projects of high quality in which research groups from both countries aim to collaborate. Financial resources from the programme may be used to fund travel and subsistence costs that arise in the course of the project-related transnational collaboration. The sending country pays the international travel costs and the subsistence costs. The total funding term for a project is up to two years. On application a third year of funding may be possible. The programme is open to all academic disciplines. Applications of Chinese scientists are to be submitted to the China Scholarship Council (CSC), Chegongzhuang Str. 9, Building 3A, 13th floor, Beijing, VR China (Mrs Xia Qin, Tel.: , Fax: , Qxia@csc.edu.cn). German scientists apply parallel to the DAAD in Bonn, Dept Special Programme In addition to the above-mentioned programmes, the DAAD also runs the following programmes together with the People's Republic of China: DAAD-K.C.Wong Research Grants for Chinese Postdoctoral Scientists In agreement with the K.C. Wong Education Foundation DAAD offers scholarships to Chinese postdoctoral scientists. These grants aim to enable highly qualified Chinese scientists of all subjects together with German colleagues in universities, universities of applied sciences (FH) and non-university research institutions in Germany to do joint research projects. Applicants must be citizens of the Republic of the People's of China and at the time of application be occupied in research and teaching. A doctoral degree or equivalent academic qualification is expected. One of the following academic titles should be theirs: Professor, Associate Professor, Research Fellow, Associate Research Fellow oder Senior Engineer. The following academic titles cannot be accepted: Assistant Professor, Assistant Research Fellow, Lecturer, Engineer, Assistant Engineer or Technician. Language skills depend on the intended project. As a rule, good knowledge of Germa n or English language (spoken and written) are expected as well as good knowledge of the other language. The funding for a research project is up to three months (min.) and twelve months (max.). An extension is not possible. Application deadlines: 30 April for grants to be taken up between October and March 15 November for grants to be taken up between April and September Selections are twice each year. The selection is held at DAAD by a commission consisting of university teachers. The selections need the formal acceptance of K.C.Wong Foundation. CAS Programme The programme is intended for young Chinese scientists and researchers from the field of natural sciences and engineering. Applications must be submitted via the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China. Application date: March each year. Within the scope of this programme, young Chinese scientists and researchers can come to Germany for sandwich stays of between one and two years. The doctorate is subsequently done in China. page 13

14 Sino-Swiss Science and Technology Cooperation (SSSTC) Joint Research Projects (JRP) - New Calls Source: ETH International Institutional Affairs The Sino-Swiss Science and Technology Cooperation (SSSTC) program was established in 2003, after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Swiss State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). Based on this MoU, steps have been taken to promote collaborations between Swiss and Chinese scientists during the pilot phase ( ). The result of this pilot phase SSSTC is the establishement of a basic framework for science and technology cooperation between China and Switzerland. The SSSTC program encourages long term partnership and aims to provide opportunities for collaboration between Swiss and Chinese research institutions. In order to broadly reach Chinese scientists, the new phase of the SSSTC ( ) intends to reach beyond the MOST and to include the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) in the program as well. ETH Zürich remains the leading house (LH) for the program, and University of Zürich has been selected as the associated leading house (ALH) for the SSSTC Through an expansion of the priority areas as well as the increased mode of collaboration, we hope that the action phase of SSSTC will maintain and deepen the existing communication of Swiss and Chinese scholars. The SSSTC JRP instrument promotes and supports collaborative research between Swiss and Chinese scientists. Proposals with ambitious goals and innovative approaches will be preferentially funded. Projects involving inter- and multi-disciplinary research teams are highly encouraged. Priority Research Areas Renewable Energy & Cleantech Material Sciences & Nanotechnologies Eligibility In Switzerland: Applicants should have a stable appointment as a faculty member at an eligible Swiss university or research institute. In Switzerland, these include: Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Cantonal universities of higher education Federal and cantonal research institutions Swiss universities of applied sciences Other research institutions eligible for receiving federal funding Partners from private sectors are welcome to participate but will not be eligible to receive SSSTC funding In China: The eligibility of CAS members will be defined by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Non-CAS Chinese partners (researchers from universities or research institutes other than CAS) who fulfill the requirement of submitting a letter of commitment (see Submission in China ) are also eligible. The eligibility of the Swiss applicants and non-cas Chinese partners will be examined by the Swiss program office. Application Deadline The complete joint application must be submitted by April 30 th, page 14

15 A selection of Bilateral Funding Schemes specifically targeted at cooperation between China and Europe Source: CO-REACH (Coordination of Research between Europe and China) website: EURAXESS Links China website at: ec.europa.eu/euraxess/links/china/ Type of Project AKA - NSFC Centres of Excellence Scheme Exchange of scientists Research visits Joint research projects 3-year joint research projects Scientific meetings PhD training China Exchange Programme Exchange of scientists Short-term (max. 1 month), long-term (max. 24 months) Joint research projects Joint research projects may last up to 3 years. Knowledge transfer activities This depends on the specific needs of the project CAS-KNAW Joint PhD Training Programme Exchange of scientists Long term research stay. Individual research projects PhD project (4 years) Joint research projects Joint PhD training and PhD research project. PhD training Knowledge transfer activities This depends on the specific needs of the project. NKTH - Agreement on scientific and technological cooperation Exchange of scientists travel, research visits, workshops Individual research projects bilateral research projects Joint research projects Preparation of long term or applied research projects Scientific meetings PhD training Knowledge transfer activities between research partners China/Ireland Science and Technology Collaboration Research Fund Exchange of scientists Travel and short-term research visits Joint research projects Two-year joint research projects Scientific meetings PhD training Other types of training Training activities pertinent to individual research projects - i.e. equipment, skills, techniques etc. Knowledge transfer activities Possibly patents European responsible institution Academy of Finland (AKA) Suomen Akatemia FINLAND Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap THE NETHERLANDS Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap THE NETHERLANDS National Office for Research and Technology (NKTH) Nemzeti Kutatási és Technológiai Hivatal HUNGARY Royal Irish Academy (RIA) IRELAND Chinese counterparts National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Ministry of Education (MoE ) Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) The Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS) Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) page 15

16 Newton International Fellowship Scheme Exchange of scientists Research visit to the UK Individual research projects 24 months research project undertaken by Chinese postdoctoral researcher in the UK Equipment and infrastructure Agreement on scientific cooperation (four agreements with Chinese Academies) Exchange of scientists travels, short-term research visits Joint research projects long-term Polish-Chinese joint research projects Scientific meetings Joint research centres IIASA, ICGEB Knowledge transfer activities joint publications, joint seminars CNRS Networking Scheme Exchange of scientists Travels, short term visits Joint research projects 2 to 5 year projects Scientific meetings Other types of training Technics in research training Other Technics in research training Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Humboldt Research Fellowships) Exchange of scientists Individual research projects Various fellowships for Post-Doc Researchers (completion of PhD less than 4 years ago) and for Experienced Researchers (completion of PhD less than 12 years ago) Scientific meetings National R&I Programme Exchange of scientists Dealt on a case by case basis. Individual research projects Dealt on a case by case basis. Joint research projects Dealt on a case by case basis. Scientific meetings PhD training CNR Bilateral Agreements Joint research projects Biennial or triennial duration, carried out by joint Italian and foreign research teams) Individual free exchange programme Bilateral seminaries The Royal Society (RS) UNITED KINGDOM Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) POLAND Ministry of foreign affairs (MAE) Ministry of education and research (MENESR)National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) FRANCE Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung GERMANY Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) Kunsill Malti ghax-xjenza u t- Teknologija MALTA Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche ITALY Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences CAAS Cina CAF Chinese Academy of Forestry Cina CAS Chinese Academy of Sciences More bilateral funding schemes can be found on the CO-REACH Directory: page 16

17 Understanding China Training Programme 2011 Source: Understanding China.eu Overview The Understanding China training is a highly targeted programme developed according to the needs of business representative organisations. The programme offers a unique mix of academic and practical courses on Chinese business and culture, organised in a flexible way to allow compatibility with the participants' professional life. The seminars will take place both in Europe and China and will be accompanied by a variety of practical and social activities, such as business plan development, study trip to China, different networking events, company visits, etc. The 'train the trainers' approach of the programme will ensure that a large number of companies will ultimately benefit from improved services and support. Ultimately the programme will result in the creation of a network of China experts in a range of business representative organisations across Europe. Minimum requirements for participants: - Be a national of one of the EU Member States, Official Candidate Countries or the European Economic Area - Be employed by an eligible business representative organisation (see below) - Have the support of the organisation to participate in this programme - Work in an international or Asia/China department - Have a university degree - Have an excellent command of English - Minimum of 2 years work experience on international affairs, with focus on China - Have not previously participated Minimum requirements for organisations: - Chambers of Commerce and Industry and SME Federations, Industry and sectoral Associations, Employer Federations, or other relevant business organisations which provide services to SMEs - Be based, i.e. with the head office in one of the EU Member States, Official Candidate Countries or the European Economic Area - Have profound experience in international trade and a strong interest in China Award criteria for candidates and organisations: - Relevant work experience - Quality of the business plan + possibility of implementation afterwards - Motivation of both participant and organisation - Geographical balance Application deadline: 1 May 2011 page 17

18 Projects in progress Membrane related Projects funded under 7 th FWP (Seventh Framework Programme) Innovative CO2 capture (ICAP) Research area: ENERGY Innovative capture techniques Coordinator:NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU Hogskoleringen, TRONDHEIM, NORWAY Project description In post-combustion CO2 capture, a main bottleneck causing significant reduction in power plant efficiency and preventing cost effectiveness is the low flue gas CO2 partial pressure, limiting membrane flux, solvent selection and capacity. In pre-combustion CO2 capture, key bottlenecks are number of processing steps, possible low hydrogen pressure, and high hydrogen fraction in the fuel Global deployment of CO2 capture is restrained by a general need for prior removal of SO2. icap seeks to remove these barriers by developing new technologies with potential for reducing the current energy penalty to 4-5% points in power plant efficiency, to combine SO2 and CO2 removal, and to reduce the avoidance cost to 15 Participants Ifp Energies Nouvelles Dong Energy Power As* Vattenfall Research And Development Ab Procede Group Bv Vattenfall A/S Enbw Kraftwerke Ag Tsinghua University Association Pour La Recherche Et Le Developpement Des Methodes Et Processus Industriels - Armines Stiftelsen Sintef Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Tno Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation Danmarks Tekniske Universitet Technische Universitaet Hamburg-Harburg France Denmark Sweden Netherlands Denmark Germany China France Norway Netherlands Australia Denmark Germany Carbon dioxide capture and hydrogen production with membranes (CACHET II) Research area: ENERGY Innovative capture techniques Coordinator BP EXPLORATION OPERATING COMPANY LTD SUNBURY-ON-THAMES, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM Project description Hydrogen membrane reactors are an attractive technology for pre-combustion carbon dioxide capture in both coal and gas fired power stations because they combine the efficient conversion of syngas into hydrogen fuel with capture of the remaining carbon dioxide in one reactor. The carbon dioxide is produced at high pressure, reducing the compression energy for transport and storage. CACHET II project will develop innovative metallic membranes and modules for high capacity hydrogen production and separation from a number of fuel sources including natural gas and coal. The DICP membrane developed in FP6 project CACHET along with novel seal and substrate technology will be scaled up and undergo long term stability testing. An optimisation design tool will be built to include the relationship of all page 18

19 key operating parameters; this tool will be used to specify an optimised pilot and commercial membrane module design. The project will research novel binary and tertiary palladium alloys for improved durability and permeance for application to solid based fuels derived syngas and high temperature integrated reforming processes. Fundamental research on high temperature sulphur removal systems will enable sulphur tolerant membranes to become an economic possibility. Participants Politecnico di Milano Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences Technip France Sas Stichting Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland National Technical University of Athens Stiftelsen Sintef Italy China China France Netherlands Greece Norway page 19

20 News/Highlights 2011 EU-China Year of Youth Source link: was designated as the EU-China Year of Youth with a view to "further promoting and deepening partnership between Europe and China", at the 12 th EU-China Summit, held in Nanjing on 30 November A joint action plan for the Year of Youth was signed on 6 October 2010 by Commissioner Vassiliou and the Vice President of the All China Youth Federation. This action plan sets a general framework for the development of joint activities in the context of the Year. What are the main objectives of the Year? The main objectives of the Year are to: promote intercultural dialogue and strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between European and Chinese youth, encourage young people to care about and support the development of EU-China relations, achieve extensive and positive impact and help ensure that cooperation between policy makers as well as between youth organizations is sustainable beyond The EU-China Year of Youth also coincides with the European Year of Volunteering and the 10 th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteering. For this reason, voluntary activities involving young Europeans and Chinese will be encouraged throughout the Year. What kinds of activities are envisaged? The joint action plan includes various types of activities divided into the following categories: flagship events in Europe and China, joint grassroots projects, policy dialogue in the youth field and on youth-related issues in other fields and visibility activities. What support is available? The EU Youth in Action Programme is the main source of potential support on the EU side for concrete joint youth projects aimed at developing partnerships, networks, voluntary projects, youth exchanges among youth organisations from the EU and their counterparts in China. Projects promoting cooperation with China can be supported in the framework of two actions of the Youth in Action Programme: Action 3.2 "Youth in the World cooperation with countries other than the Neighbouring Countries of the EU". The aim is to promote the exchange of experience and good practice in the field of youth and non-formal education, as well as to develop lasting partnerships and networks between youth organisations from across the globe. Action 2, the European Voluntary Service - offers opportunities to carry out voluntary service for up to 12 months in another country in Europe or in the world. It is a true learning service for the volunteers and it benefits local communities. How can I be involved in the Year? The joint action plan for the Year of Youth underlines the importance of a strong mobilisation of young people, youth organisations and other actors active in the youth field at all levels for a wider impact of the Year of Youth. In this context, the name and the logo of the Year can be used for events, projects and activities taking place between 1 January and 31 December 2011, which contribute significantly to achieving one or more of the above-mentioned objectives of the Year. If you have a project, event, activity or any other initiative which supports the objectives of the 2011 EU-China Year of Youth, you are welcome to use the logo of the Year. In order to do so, please fill in the label request form. Upon confirmation, your activity will also be added to the calendar of events of the EU-China Year. page 20

21 Scientific Visa Package: A fast track to research careers in the European Union Source: EU Delegation S&T and Environment section and EURAXESS Links China Researchers are the main producers of new knowledge and the main agents in its sharing. Europe is committed to retaining and attracting the best research talent, in order to become the most competitive knowledge economy in the world and to stand out as an area of excellence in scientific research. This is confirmed by the EU2020 Strategy, which sets ambitious goals for Europe to develop an economy based on knowledge and innovation. Mobility should be an asset, not an obstacle, and this is why the EU is taking concrete and action-oriented measures to make Europe the destination of choice for researchers. This is the reason why the EU designed the Scientific Visa Package that aims to facilitate non-european researchers who wish to enter the European Union for the purpose of scientific research. What is it and who can benefit from it? The Scientific Visa Package facilitates the procedure of admitting researchers coming from non-european countries (third-country nationals) to Europe for the purpose of scientific research. There is a distinction in the procedure for: Long -term admission, for researchers intending to stay in Europe for more than three months and Short-term visas, for entry of less than three months The Scientific Visa Package is available for researchers in public and private organisations. Students are not eligible. A researcher is defined as: a third-country national holding an appropriate higher education qualification which gives access to doctoral programmes, and who is selected by a research organisation for carrying out a research project for which the above qualification is normally required. Individual European countries do not have identical rules of procedure. They need to be verified for each country. Please note that the UK and Denmark do not participate in the Scientific Visa Package. Legally, the Scientific Visa Package is consists of an EU directive 2005/71/EC and two recommendations 2005/762/EC and 2005/761/EC. Why apply for a scientific visa and work in Europe? 1. Once you have obtained a researcher's residence permit, you will have equal status to that of nationals of your host country in terms of pay and working conditions, access to goods and services, recognition of professional qualifications and social security. 2. A residence permit may be granted to your family members for the duration of your residence permit. 3. You can take up a teaching position. How can one obtain a long-term admission visa / residence permit? In order to obtain a residence permit (for a period of more than three months) from the relevant national authorities, a researcher will have to meet the following requirements: 1. Be in possession of a valid travel document (e. g. passport or national identity card) 2. Be in possession of a signed hosting agreement 3. Provide evidence that the researcher does not pose a threat to public policy, security or health, as certified by his/her local authority 4. Fulfil the demand made by some Member States that require the researcher to have a statement of "financial responsibility" issued by their research organisation, under which they will pay any costs incurred if the researcher stays beyond the time their residence permit is valid. What is a hosting agreement? The "hosting agreement" is an agreement issued by a public or private approved research organisation in the Member State, to undertake a research project. The research organisation can only sign a hosting agreement with a researcher if there are funds available for the research and they are satisfied with the researcher's scientific skills. In addition, the researcher must have sufficient financial means and health insurance. page 21

22 Only a research organisation approved by the Member State can sign a hosting agreement. A list of approved research organisations can be found for the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Italy. To view templates of hosting agreements please click on the following examples: Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Sweden. For the remaining countries, the lists can usually be found on national websites (Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Research or Ministry of Education). Once a researcher has a formal hosting arrangement with a research institution he/she will be granted a residence permit for at least one year, and does not need a work permit. However, an entry visa must still be applied for. Can a researcher move to another European country? Once awarded the residence permit, a researcher may carry out his/her research not only in the country of his/her residence permit, but also in another EU Member State. If a researcher would like to, for example, participate in a research conference or carry out a part of his/her research in another Member State for up to 3 months, no new application process needs to be made. If the stay should be longer than 3 months, a new Hosting Agreement will need to be signed with an organisation in the new country. Which countries participate in the Scientific Visa Package for long-term admissions? All the Member States except Denmark and the United Kingdom The participating Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The national EURAXESS Services Centres will be able to assist you with details on entry requirements. What is the admission procedure for short-term stays? There is no standardised procedure for the application of short-term visas. The EU has drafted a recommendation encouraging EU Member States to facilitate the entry of a researcher into an EU Member State for a period of up to three months. This mostly addresses researchers who travel very often to an EU Member State for short periods to undertake their research or to participate in a research conference, for example. The Member States are encouraged to facilitate the issue of visas without administrative fees for researchers. The recommendation concerns all EU Member States with the exception of the UK, Denmark and Ireland, who have chosen to exclude themselves from the short-term scientific visa. The national EURAXESS Services Centres will be able to assist you with details on entry requirements. For any further details on the Scientific Visa Package, please consult the following link: page 22

23 from China Open Calls National Natural Science Foundation International Young Scientists Fellowship Source: (in English - summary information only) (in Chinese) This NSFC Fellowship scheme was launched in 2009 to encourage excellent international young researchers to work for six or twelve months in a Chinese university or research institute. Eligibility is limited to universities or institutes in China affiliated to the Ministry of Education (MoE) or Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The Fellowship offers research funding support of RMB 100,000 for visits of six months, or RMB 200,000 for 12 months. This funding is for research expenses only. The host organisation is responsible for covering living costs, insurance, research facilities etc. All candidates are recommended by the Chinese host organisation. They must have obtained a PhD, have more than three years of basic research or post-doctoral experience, and must be aged under 35 as at 1 January of the year of application. CURRENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES The application calendar for the two 2011 calls is as follows: 1 st call: Deadline for host institution recommendation: 31 January, 2011 Deadline for the recommended researchers to submit their application form: 15 March, 2011 (6 months funding will be provided for visits from 1 July, 2011 to 31 December, months funding will be provided for visits from 1 July, 2011 to 30 June, 2012) 2 nd call: Deadline for host institution recommendation: 30 June, 2011 Deadline for the recommended researchers to submit their application form: 15 August, 2011 (6 months funding will be provided for visits from 1 January, 2012 to 30 June, months funding will be provided for visits from 1 January, 2012 to 31 December, 2012) page 23

24 China Scholarship Council (CSC) Chinese Government Scholarship Scheme Source: In order to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and people from all over the world, and to develop cooperation and exchanges in fields of politics, economy, culture, education and trade between China and other countries, Chinese government has set up a series of scholarship programs to sponsor international students, teachers and scholars to undertake studies and researches in Chinese higher education institutions (Chinese HEIs). The general scheme for international students to study in China is the Chinese Government Scholarship Scheme under which scholarships are granted to foreign students to start different levels of studies (from undergraduate to doctoral studies and senior scholars) in 119 Chinese Higher Education Institutions. In 2007, a total of scholarships were granted under this scheme, including 2107 to European recipients, in the areas related to science, technology, agriculture, medicine, economics, law, management, education, history, liberal arts and philosophy. Applicants shall apply to Chinese diplomatic missions or the competent authorities in their home countries between January and April every year. Distinguished International Students Scholarship This programme is for international students who have conducted and finished Undergraduate or Master studies in China and are enrolled for Master or Doctoral studies. The scholarship covers university registration and related costs and provides free accommodation on the campus and a living allowance of 1700 RMB/month for Master students and 2000 RMB/month for Doctorate students. China-UNESCO Great Wall Fellowship This scheme sponsors general scholars (of at least a level of 2 years of university studies and of no more than 45 years of age) and senior scholars (of at least a master degree level of associate professor level and of no more than 50 years of age), and in principle the courses will be taught in English with duration of at most one year. Candidates who will be taught in Chinese are required to get the confirmation from both CSC and UNESCO before starting their study, and the total scholarship duration will be one-year Chinese language training plus one-year major study. The scholarship covers tuition fees, monthly stipend (paid by host institution, 1700 RMB/month for general scholars, 2000 RMB/month for senior scholars), one-time settlement subsidy (ranging from 1000 to 1500 RMB), health insurance, one-off inter-city travel subsidy (domestic travel to university of destination from nearest port). Chinese Scholarship Programme for EU This scheme sponsors EU university students (of no more than 35 years of age) or high school graduates (of no more than 25 years of age) to study Chinese in China for up to one year. The scholarship covers tuition fees, monthly stipend (paid by host institution, 1400 RMB/month for high school graduates, 1700 RMB/month for university students), one-time settlement subsidy (ranging from 1000 to 1500 RMB), health insurance, one-off inter-city travel subsidy (domestic travel to university of destination from nearest port). China Government Scholarship - University Postgraduate Study Programme Chinese Government Scholarship-University Postgraduate Study Program is established by the Ministry of Education of China, aiming to offer support in building international high level universities, and promote Chinese higher education brand. The enrollment is directly managed by a part of Chinese higher institutions. MOE entrusts CSC to keep the enrollment record and carry out the routine management. Aimed at master students (of less than 35 years of age) and doctoral students (of less than 40 years of age), the scholarship covers university registration and related costs, insurance costs and provides free accommodation on the campus and a living allowance of 1700 RMB/month for Master students and 2000 RMB/month for Doctorate students. For first-comers to China a lump sum of 1500 RMB to settle down will also be given. page 24

25 China Government Scholarship Degree Studies in Provinces / Autonomous Regions Programme It offers the opportunity to carry out Master and Doctoral studies in certain universities in the following provinces or autonomous regions: Liaoning, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Gansu and Xinjiang. Aimed at master students (of less than 35 years of age) and doctoral students (of less than 40 years of age), the scholarship covers university registration and related costs, insurance costs and provides free accommodation on the campus and a living allowance of 1700 RMB/month for Master students and 2000 RMB/month for Doctorate students. For first-comers to China a lump sum of 1500 RMB to settle down will also be given. China Government Scholarship Regional Scholarships Support Programme This programme supports scholarships schemes already set up by provincial authorities in certain provinces and autonomous regions for master students (of less than 35 years of age) and doctoral students (of less than 40 years of age). The scholarship covers university registration and related costs, insurance costs and provides free accommodation on the campus and a living allowance of 1700 RMB/month for Master students and 2000 RMB/month for Doctorate students. For first-comers to China a lump sum of 1500 RMB to settle down will also be given. Short-term Scholarship Scheme for Foreign Teachers of Chinese Language This program has been set up by the Ministry of Education of China with a view to helping overseas professional teachers of Chinese language to improve their teaching skills. page 25

26 China Academy of Sciences Fellowships Source: Bureau of International Cooperation - CAS China Academy of Sciences (CAS) provides support to promote exchange of researchers between CAS and international institutes. Main schemes open to European researchers are Einstein Professorship, Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists and Fellowship for Young International Scientists. These schemes are managed by the Bureau of International Cooperation of CAS which is responsible for publicity, calls for applications, assessment and review of applications, and the submission of recommendations for final approval, in consultation and cooperation with other relevant CAS bureaus. Einstein Professorship Programme is a key initiative of CAS. Each year, it is awarded to around 20 distinguished international scientists who are active at the frontiers of science and technology, for conducting lecture-tours to China of one to two weeks. It is open to scientists around the world in all disciplines. In exchange, each Einstein Professor is expected to receive one or two young CAS researchers from the host institute or institutes to work in their laboratories for one to three months, with fund fully provided by CAS. Application for the Professorship is made by CAS host institutes. In 2009, 20 renowned scientists were awarded the Professorship, of which 7 were from Europe. The grant covers: The cost of accommodation, and transportation in China A round-trip international airfare between the airport located nearest to the visitor's home and that nearest to the host institute An honorarium of USD 1,500 for presenting a lecture All applications and supporting documents should be submitted by the inviting CAS institutes to the Bureau of International Cooperation, CAS by the end of October. Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists provides funds to accomplished researchers with PhD degrees with senior academic positions who are either currently or was previously working in renowned universities, research institutes or multi-national corporations to participate in research in CAS for 2-12 months. Applications can be submitted by a CAS host institute or by a foreign partner institute of CAS during 2 periods each year : from March 1-15 March and from September The grant covers: Salary, daily living allowance and health insurance, from 400,000 to 500,000 RMB (pre-tax) per year A round-trip (economy-class) international airfare between the airport located nearest to the visitor's home and that nearest to the host institute Applications from CAS institutes and international partner institutions are to be submitted to the Bureau of International Cooperation, CAS, during two specific periods each year. The first round of applications is from March 1-15 and the second from September Fellowship for Young International Scientists supports academic exchanges and cooperation between CAS institutes and international institutes and universities, and development of talented scientists by attracting young international scientists to conduct cooperative research at CAS institutes for 12 months. Application can be submitted by CAS host institutes or foreign partner institutes during 2 periods each year : from March 1-15 March and from September The fellowship provides for visits of 12 months duration and may be extended by agreement for a further period of up to 12 months. Grant covers: Salary, daily living allowance and health insurance, between 150,000 and 250,000 RMB (pre-tax) per year A round-trip (economy-class) international airfare between the airport located nearest to the visitor's home and that nearest to the host institute. Applications from CAS institutes and international partner institutions are to be submitted to the Bureau of International Cooperation, CAS, during two specific periods each year. The first round of applications is from March 1-15 and the second from September page 26

27 News/Highlights Beijing Ting Run Membrane Technology Development Co., LTD Source: Ge Dao Cai Beijing Ting Run Membrane Technology Development Co., LTD is a high scientific and technological company especially engaging in investigating and developing new types of homogeneous anion exchange membrane, cation exchange membrane, bipolar membrane and their corresponding environmental protection equipments. The company has a first rate scientific research team and rich experience team for producing the products. The membranes have excellent properties, such as enduring strong acid and base, low energy consumption, and long lifetime etc. They have reached the same level as abroad membranes. Especially, the bipolar membrane product fills the blank of our country, has its high rate of property and cost. The electrodialysis equipment installed by our bipolar membranes and homogeneous anion and cation exchange membranes can be used in directly producing their acids and bases from various salts, and recovered waste acids and bases for reuse, eliminating environmental pollution problems. Enclosed property table. Technical properties Type Appearance Thickness (mm) JCM-II- 05 JCM-II- 07 JCM-II- 10 JCM-II- 15 black black black black Table1 JCM-Ⅱhomogeneus cation Exchange Membranes Capacity Moisture (meg/g.dry) (%) Area Resistance (Ω-cm 2 ) Transport number (%) Mullen burst strength (10 5 Pa) >2.5 >2.5 >2.5 >2.5 Type JAM-II-05 JAM-II-07 JAM-II-10 JAM-II-15 Appeara nce yellowish yellowish yellowish yellowish Table2 JAM-Ⅱhomogeneous anion cxchange membranes Thickness Capacity Moisture Area Transport (mm) (meg/g.dr (%) Resistance number y) (Ω-cm 2 ) (%) Mullen burst strength (10 5 Pa) >2.5 >2.5 >2.5 >2.5 Table3 BPM-I-Bipolar membrane Type Appearance Thickness (mm) Capacity (meg/g.dry) BPM-I Cationlayer yellowbrown Anionlayer grayish Cationlayer Anionlayer Moisture (%) Voltage drop across membrane *(V) Mullen burst strength (10 5 Pa) > 0.25 *:It is measured in 0.5 Mol/L Na2SO4 solution, at 25,10 100mA/cm 2 electric current density. page 27

28 The 1 st Domestic Membrane Science and Technology Innovation Park Settled Down in SSTT Source: SSTT (Suzhou Science & Technology Town) News Recently, Suzhou Membrane Science and Technology Innovation Park (SMST), which is a new high-tech innovation park, settled down in SSTT. SMST is the 1st domestic membrane park, which integrates the government, research institutes, universities and high-quality resources from both home and abroad. The park will focus on membrane technology and services for the industry and expertise to build it to a first-class membrane technology innovation park in China. China is short of water resources; moreover, the unbalanced distribution of water leads to even serious water problems. With the rapid economic development, water pollution has brought serious pressure to the sustainable economic development of our country. Thus, aqueous processing technology and the corresponding application is becoming a significant matter for economic development. Membrane has special inorganic or polymeric materials which have selective separation functions for liquid separation. As a high-tech industry that has attained much attention, membrane technology is the technical foundation for circular economy. It can be widely used in the field of environmental protection, especially in the aqueous processing. In recent years, China's membrane market is growing rapidly, which is expected to account for about 15% of the global market and has great developing potential in the future. Focusing on membrane technology, Suzhou Membrane Science and Technology Innovation Park will dedicate in R&D areas such as membrane materials, parts, equipment, products, technology and the applications. And it will combine R&D, product development, analysis inspection and evaluation together into a whole industrialization chain. It is aiming at building an open-ended professional membrane park, which bases in Suzhou and radiates to the whole country. page 28

29 Membrane related Projects in China A new approach to study membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor via Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Project Type: National Natural Science Foundation Project No.: Project Awardee: Cui Li Project Abstract: Membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBR) is a serious problem restricting their widespread applications, because it induces flux decline and increases operating and maintenance costs. A better understanding of fouling process and mechanisms will greatly facilitate the development of effective methods to control fouling. However, due to various limits in the present detection techniques, fouling process and mechanism have not got fully understood. It is very necessary to develop new methods to investigate this process. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising technique allowing the non-invasive and in-situ fouling process study. Therefore, in this project, SERS will be founded as a new technique for the in-situ characterization of membrane fouling process. Time-lapse image of several typical foulants in the fouling process, like protein, polysaccharide will be obtained based on the analysis of change in their SERS intensity or intensity ratios. In addition, the influence of membrane material, transmembrane pressure and flow velocity on fouling process will be also investigated. Moreover, in view of fouling control, interaction between dominant foulants and other fouling species or between foulants and membrane, as well as influencing factors like ph, membrane materials will be also examined. This project will provide new information on fouling mechanism and clue for fouling control. Period of Project: Fund of Project: 190,000 RMB page 29

30 China Science and Technology Newsletter Corner A selection of news of interest for our readers Source: The Newsletter of the Ministry of Science and Technology People's Republic of China Chinese Scientists Wonder Fabric Prof. TANG Fangqiong with Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a research team led by Prof. LI Yi at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, have jointly developed a nanotechnology that can be used to work out a wonder wool fabric that shakes off wrinkles and shrinkage, and breathes to release sweat. Researchers coated the wool fabric with a very thin hydrophilic layer (1/50000 of a human hair) made up of silica nanoparticles. The particles make the wool superhydrophilic through changing the fabric s surface energy and structure. Fortunately, the coating layer does not alter the wool s color and texture, allowing daily dry cleaning. The finding, published in the recent issue of ACS News Service Weekly PressPac, has applied for a domestic invention patent, with its international application on the way. (No. 570) Top Basic Research Progresses Unveiled Top ten Chinese basic research progresses achieved in 2009, selected by the experts organized by the Basic Research Management Center, part of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, have recently been unveiled. They are: Beijing Positron and Electron Collider has been successfully upgraded; China s carbon balance status of terrestrial ecosystems has been mapped; the mechanism causing Braclhydactyly type A1 was unveiled; β-arrestin2 signal loss was proved to cause insulin resistance; induced pluripotent stem cells were confirmed with a full range development capacity; metal sodium was shown to be turned into a transparent insulator under high pressure; the ultrahigh intensity of nanocrystalline copper was better understood; the superconductivity of copper oxide superconductors under high temperature and associated theories has enjoyed a deepened understanding; potential functional genes were discovered in super hybrid rice; and key evidences have been found for the origins of birds. The top basic research progresses were selected by vote by academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the lead scientist of National 973 Program and experts of the advisory and consultation panels under the same Program, and directors of national key labs, based on the S&T news published by S&T News Heralds, China Science Foundation, Chinese Academy of Sciences Proceedings, and China Basic Sciences. (No. 571) National Talents Program Not long ago, an array of Chinese government agencies, including Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, State Development and Reform Commission, National Natural Science Foundation, and China Association for Science and Technology, jointly publicized the national candidates for the socalled New Century Talents Program in Of the 806 national candidates unveiled, 640 are doctoral students, or 79.4% of the total, 118 postdoctorals (14.6%), 293 doctoral tutors (36.4%), and 170 returned overseas Chinese students (21.1%). Most of the candidates have already been listed for the future human resources development at government agencies both at the local and central levels. (No. 571) Finest Carbon Nanotube Synthesized Not long ago, scientists from Zhejiang University and University of California have successfully synthesized the smallest carbon nanotubes, or C90, in the world. The finding was published in the first issue of German Applied Chemistry in the year. Chinese and American scientists have long worked together to synthesize novel and metal Fullerene. In recent years, they have achieved a range of findings on large carbon and metal Fullerene, and synthesized three large metal Fullerene: Gd2C2@C92, Ca@C94, and Sm2@C104, which eventually allowed them to work out a C90 with a unique nanotube structure. The synthesized C90 is 0.7 nanometer across, with a length at 1.1 nanometers, the world s finest and shortest closed carbon nanotube that can stay stable in the air, enjoying a high D5h symmetry. Researchers are currently working on the physical and chemical properties of C90, exploring its possible applications in the area of organic solar energy and nanoelectronic components. (No. 573) Water Collection Fiber Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics said that they have found a unique structure built in spider silk that is able collect morning dew, based on both page 30

31 optical and electronic microscope observations. Researchers said the water-collecting ability of spider capture silk is the result of a unique fiber structure that forms after wetting, with the wet-rebuilt fibers characterized by periodic spindle-knots made of random nanofibrils and separated by joints made of aligned nanofibrils. The finding was published in the recent issue of journal Nature. Researchers have rolled out the water-collecting fiber based on the unique structure discovered. Tests show that the novel material, when in a foggy environment, is able to turn water vapor in the air into dew on the surface of the material. It is believed that the restructured fibers will eventually become a promising material to collect water from the air, or to be applied in industrial filtering activities. (No. 574) Patent Information for Major Industries A patent information platform, developed by State Intellectual Property Office, was inaugurated on February 25, 2010 to provide patent information search for major industries. The platform has the latest and most comprehensive patent information of public good industries, including steel, auto, ship, petrochemicals, textile, light industry, non-ferrous metals, electronics and information, and logistics. The new platform has collected patent information from the United States, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Republic of Korea, Australia, the World Intellectual Property Organization, European Patent Office, African Regional Intellectual Property Organization, in addition to the patent data on BRICs and emerging economies in Southeast Asia. The patent entries collected by the platform have reached million in number, covering ten major industries. The platform is equipped with a range of functions, including navigation, search, analysis, and online translation. Technical innovations are broken down into specific areas industry by industry. Search can be done in diverse modes, including navigation search, table search, and expression search, desirable for both domestic and international search. Eight analysis modes allow users to analyze patent information by trend, region, and technology. The system is also able to translate English patent information into Chinese in an automatic manner. (No. 575) SCO Science Ministers Met An S&T cooperation ministerial meeting was held on May 14, 2010 under the banner of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Beijing. Ministers attending the event agreed that efforts shall be made to strengthen the multilateral S&T cooperation under the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in the interests of members and their economic development. In recent years, the deepened bilateral cooperation between the members has made a multilateral S&T cooperation among the members possible. In this context, members have decided to establish a regular meeting mechanism among S&T ministers, and set up a permanent working group for the purpose. Ministers agreed to co-sponsor a range of S&T activities, including joint scientific research, training, seminar, and exhibitions. They are also planning to establish joint innovation institutions, labs, and scientific centers, conducting multilateral S&T cooperation in different forms. Members will work together under the principle of supplementing each other with respective strength, rational division of work, results oriented, and due consideration paid to members own interest. S&T ministers also agreed that at the initial stage, they will mainly collaborate in the areas of natural resources protection and associated rational utilization, energy efficiency and emission reduction, life system (including agricultural), nanotechnology, advanced materials, information, and communication. (No. 583) High Performance Polypropylene Alloy Thanks to more than 3 year s painstaking efforts, the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has, in collaboration with the China National Petroleum Corporation, produced a high performance polypropylene alloy using the proprietary polypropylene catalyst as an electron donor. The proprietary phosphorus esters developed by Chinese researchers has freed China from using the patented aromatic ester, fatty ester, or ether compound as an electron donor. Researchers developed a range of technologies and techniques to prepare high performance polypropylene alloy through readjusting the structure of phosphorus esters, copolymer performance of catalysts, the chain structures of polypropylene alloy, the structure of particle physical piles, and the structure/rigidity/elasticity of aggregation. The phosphorus esters based catalyst as an electron donor, invented by Chinese researchers, has reached the level of commercial applications in terms of the required indicators. Having applied for 2 Chinese patents and 1 US patent, the project has created a solid foundation for commercial applications of high performance aggregated polypropylene products. (No. 584) China-Europe Energy Conference The 6 th China-Europe Energy Conference, co-sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and the EU, was held July 6-7, 2010 in Shanghai. WAN Gang, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology, page 31

32 and Günther Oettinger, EU Energy Commissioner, made their remarks at the opening ceremony. WAN spoke about the deployment made by the Chinese government in developing and diffusion energy efficiency and emission reduction technologies and associated accomplishments. He thought highly of the energy cooperation between China and the EU, and wished the collaboration would go further and deeper, including strengthening joint basic researches in the area, escalating investment and collaboration in the area of new and high technologies, accelerating the spin-off of energy findings, and facilitating clean energy technology transfer. Oettinger made a positive response to WAN s remarks, saying that he would promote the energy cooperation between China and the EU, and render due contributions to securing the needed energy supply and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Participants discussed technological and industrial collaborations in three major areas, including renewable energy, intelligent power grid, and clean automobile, based on the topics of adaptation to climate change impacts through energy efficiency and emission reduction, and nurturing new strategic industries in the post financial crisis period. After the conference, European participants visited Chinese businesses in Jiangsu Province. (No. 589) Algae Made Cloth Thanks to countless experiments in four years, a research team, led by XIA Yanzhi at Qingdao University, has rolled out algae fibers from alginate using special equipment, and made them into cloth. Researchers so far have extracted fibers from different algae species, including the one used to cause environmental disasters to the coasts of Yellow Sea. Researchers showed the visitors algae fibers dyed in different colors, alginate grains, and the cloth made of algae fibers in the lab. According to researchers, the algae fiber making technique has passed the initial and pilot experiments, and is ready for the large scale production. The technology is able to extract kg of alginate from a ton of dried seaweeds, which can be further turned into 200 kg of fibers. 100 grams of algae fibers can produce one square meter of cloth. A preliminary analysis shows that the cost of algae fiber making will range from RMB 50,000 to 70,000 a ton. Quality cloth can be produced and cost reduced, if the fiber is interwoven with cotton. In addition, algae cloth is more durable than cotton cloth. Derived from the marine environment, algae fiber is resistant to fire. Meanwhile, the fiber contains a large amount of metal ions, which makes the fiber a good shield against electromagnetic wave and radiation. XIA said these merits, plus the one of easy processing, allows the fiber being turned into special clothes for fire fighting, chemical protection, and medical application, in addition to ordinary clothes. Financed by the National 863 Program, a textile earmark program initiated by State Development and Reform Commission, National Natural Science Foundation, and a fund initiated by Shandong provincial government for major R&D findings spin-off, the study has applied for ten invention patents, with three grants. (No. 591) High Conductivity Nano-Powder Not long ago, CAS Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry developed an environment-friendly nanopowder material with high electric conductivity. According to a briefing, the patented new material, named "high conductivity aluminum doped zinc oxide nanoparticle", enjoys numerous merits, including high crystallinity, uniform doping, controllable morphology, and fine scattering and dispersion performance, with a volume resistance as low as 15Ω cm. The nanoparticle material can be applied in a broad range of areas, including scientific research and industrial applications, being conductive fillers for transparent conductive electrodes and antistatic composite materials. YANG Xiaoniu, a researcher at the Institute, said it is a simple process to prepare the novel nano powder material, featured with a short cycle and low cost, and surfactants/templates free, desirable for large-scale production. In addition, the invention has created a new approach for preparing monodisperse part of other transparent conducting oxides. (No. 602) China s First Journal Impact Factor Database A Chinese academic journal impact factor annual report, jointly prepared by Tsinghua University China Academic Journal E-magazine Press, China Scientific Literature Quantitative Evaluation Center, and Tsinghua University Library, was published on December 16, 2010 in Beijing in the form of database series. The database series are made up of two parts: humanitarian and social sciences, and natural sciences and engineering. The database not only presents impact factors concerning journals, basic research, technology development, and humanitarian and social studies, but also adds a dozen of evaluation indicators, including total citations, the numbers of cited journals, and citation half-life. China is currently publishing more than 6,300 titles of academic journals. The Annual Report in the form of database has gathered evaluation indicators for more than 4,500 titles. 7% of the citations were removed by a search system able to tell academic misconducts. Meanwhile, derived from the database are two sub- page 32

33 datasets for statistical analysis of the influence of academic journals and the performance of journal management agencies. (No. 604) China s Top Ten S&T News Events in 2010 Top ten S&T news events in China, voted out by 557 academicians at Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering for 2010, were announced on January 19, 2011 in Beijing. They are: 1. Successful launch of Chang'e-II, a lunar probe satellite, and the start of China s moon probe project. At 18:59:57, October 1, 2010, Chang'e II was blasted off at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The lunar satellite is designed to test some key technologies that will help Chang'e-III make a soft landing on the lunar surface, along with a range of lunar probe missions. On October 9, it entered a 100 km orbit circling the moon, after the third brake operation, working on its scientific missions and in-orbit tests. Then, it shot the images of the lunar rainbow bay area at a reduced height. The rainbow bay area, 43 degrees north and 31 degrees west, running 300 km from the south to the north, and 100km from the east to the west, is a preselected landing area for Chang'e-III. On October 28, the lunar satellite sent back to the earth the images of the rainbow bay area with a resolution of 1.3 meters, heralding the complete success of the probe mission. 2. China s Tianhe-1 becomes the fastest supercomputer in the world. TOP500, an international organization for supercomputers, released on November 17, 2010 its 36th list of the world's top 500 supercomputers. Tianhe-1 supercomputer, developed and installed by the National University of Defense Technology at a supercomputing center in Tianjin, has registered a peak speed of 4700 trillion floating-point operations per second, and a sustained floating-point operations at 2566 trillion floating-point operations per second, hallmarking a historic breakthrough that allows China to sit in the internationally advanced rank in supercomputing. Tianhe-1 is driven to work by Chinese made proprietary high-speed interconnected chips, with a greatly enhanced communication speed between the CPUs. China s proprietary "FT-1000" chips became part of the central processors. The supercomputer is run by a unicorn operating system developed by Chinese scientists. 3. China s manned deep-water submersible hit the record of 3,700m. Thank to 6-year concerted efforts of some 100 research institutes and enterprises, a Chinese made manned submersible, named "Dragon", tested its 3,000m level diving capability from May 31 to July 18, 2010 in the South China Sea. The submersible reached a maximum depth of 3,759m, making China the fifth country mastering the 3,500m level diving capability, after the United States, France, Russia, and Japan. China s manned submersible is designed with a maximum diving depth up to 7,000m, a cutting-edge depth allowing diving applications in 99.8% of the world's oceanic areas. 4. Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail laid. The Beijing-Shanghai high speed rail line that catches world attention completed the rail laying part on November 15, The next thing Chinese engineers will do is to work on the integration of traction power supply, communication, signal, and power supply components, and the construction of station structures, along with a full-fledged joint testing. The high-speed line, once completed, will allow Shanghai passengers to reach Beijing in 4 hours. The Beijing-Shanghai line, 1,318 km long for a top speed up to 380 km and a design speed at 350 km, is the longest and most advanced highspeed rail line in the world. A preliminary partial test was made on December 3, to run from Zaozhuang to Bengbu. During the test, the "Harmony" 380A high-speed EMU, developed by the CSR, hit a speed of kilometers per hour at 11:28 a.m., the fastest speed China High Speed Rail has so far achieved. 5. Breakthrough in genetic rice breeding. A study, led by LI Jiayang at CAS Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology and QIAN Qian of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Institute of Rice, published its breakthrough on molecular regulation of rice tillering in the May 23 issue of journal Nature Genetics. Chinese scientists successfully cloned a key gene that regulates rice yield. The gene, when mutated, can reduce the numbers of tillers, while allowing an increased number of grains and grain weight, and a thicker stem desirable for lodging resistance. Researchers bred out new rice varieties, using combined genetic analysis and traditional breeding technique, enjoying a yield increase by 10%. The development marks an important step made by Chinese scientists in revealing the molecular secrets of rice yield. 6. Protein s new cancer-causing mechanism revealed. ZHANG Yi, FU Xiangdong and coworkers at Wuhan University School of Life Sciences found that PTB proteins are not only able to directly inhibit the alternative splicing of target genes, but are also able to directly facilitate the alternative splicing of target genes. The finding overthrew the textbook doctrine that a PTB protein is a protein to inhibit. The finding was published in Molecular Cell under the journal of Cell as a cover story. A commentary says the finding makes a leader in post-transcriptional gene regulation studies, and is important for understanding PTB proteins carcinogenic mechanism and for developing anti-cancer drugs. 7. Experimental fast reactor became critical for the first time. China's first fast neutron reactor, developed by China Institute of Atomic Energy, became critical for the first time at 9:50, July 21, The development marks a major breakthrough of China s fourth generation nuclear energy system, making China one of the few countries in the world mastering fast reactor technologies. The Experimental Fast Reactor is designed with a page 33

34 thermal power of 65 MW, and an electrical power at 20 MW. Fast neutron reactor makes a key link in the closed nuclear fuel cycle, enabling a raised uranium utilization up to 60% or more, along with a minimized production of nuclear and radioactive wastes km free-space quantum teleportation achieved. A joint study team, made up of the scientists from Tsinghua University and China University of Science and Technology, built a 16 km long free-space quantum channel between Badaling in Beijing and Huailai in Hebei, and achieved a range of technological breakthroughs. The 16km channel made the longest quantum state teleportation in the world possible. The channel beats the current world record by more than 20 times in length. The experiment confirmed for the first time the feasibility of a long-range free space quantum teleportation, an important step that will lead to the establishment of a global quantum communication network. The finding was published in Nature Photonics as a cover story. 9. Giant panda s genome released. Giant panda genome sequencing and assembly, a project initiated by Beijing Genomics Institute (Shenzhen), CAS Kunming Institute of Zoology, CAS Institute of Zoology, Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center, and China Giant Panda Protection Center, reported its findings in the January 21, 2010 issue of journal Nature as a cover story. The findings show that giant panda has 21 pairs of chromosomes, and a genome of 2.4G in size, with 36% of the sequences being repetitive and more than 20,000 genes. As giant panda s first genome sequence map derived from a brand new sequencing technique, the finding will serve as an international standard for genome mapping. 10. Commercial application of olefin coal gasification technology. CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics inked on October 26, 2010 a commercial application permit in Beijing for the new generation industrial methanol to light olefins technology (DMTO-Ⅱ). Shaanxi Coal Chemical Group, CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, and Sinopec Luoyang Petrochemical Engineering Corporation (technology licensor), inked the world s first DMTO-Ⅱtechnology licensing contract with Shaanxi Pucheng Clean Energy Chemical Co., Ltd. (Licensee). The event marks a key step made by China in spinning off its advanced proprietary olefin coal gasification technology. According to the accord, Pucheng will build a production line able to produce 1.8 million tons of coal methanol and 700,000 tons of methanol to olefins a year. (No. 607) China s Top Ten Major Scientific Progresses in 2010 The Basic Research Management Center, part of Ministry of Science and Technology, Science and Technology Review, Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Science Foundation, and China Basic Sciences, jointly launched a review to select top ten basic research news events for The sponsors, however, have changed their mind by renaming the review for top ten major scientific progresses achieved in 2010, in an attempt to make the public more comfortable with understanding the content and importance of the activity. The top ten major scientific progresses achieved by China in 2010 are: 1. topological insulator study made an important progress; 2. an anti-hyperparticle, or anti-hypertriton, was for the first time discovered in a Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider; 3. scientists unveiled the molecular mechanism of arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acids in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia; 4. Chinese scientists unearthed fossilized early modern humans dating back to 100,000 years ago; 5. a genome wide study unveiled the susceptibility genes for psoriasis, vitiligo, and leprosy; 6. a molecular mechanism that leads to an ideal plant of rice was revealed; 7. magnetotelluric measurements revealed two crustal material flows in the east part of the Tibetan Plateau; 8. Chinese scientists unveiled the role played by protein lysine acetylation in regulating cellular metabolism; 9. metamaterial based three-dimensional microwave stealth and electromagnetic black holes realized; and 10. long-range free space quantum teleportation materialized. (No. 607) International Chemistry Year in China International Chemistry Year in China, a popular science event, was officially launched on February 19, 2011 at China Science and Technology Museum. China Association for Science and Technology and Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly staged a range of popular science activities for the purpose, including chemistry experiment design competition, popular chemical science show, Chemistry Day among others. XU Yanhao, head of China Science and Technology Museum said popular chemistry lectures would be held once every month at Science Forum, starting from this month, highlighting the importance of international chemistry year. The Museum will also host a series of popular chemistry events, including popular chemistry show. China Digital Science and Technology Museum has opened an official website for International Chemical in China ( promoting International Year of Chemistry in China events, making it visible to more people. One may get acquainted with the events through the website. Chemistry experiment design competition has also opened its registration and submission at the website. (No. 610) page 34

35 Announcements Awards EFCE Award in Membrane Engineering The European Federation of Chemical Engineering awarded Dr. Ing. Adele Brunetti with the EFCE-Excellence Award in Membrane Engineering for her PhD thesis, "Integrated membrane plant for pure hydrogen production for PEMFC (polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell)."the aim of the thesis was to apply the Membrane Engineering in the study of new integrated membrane plant solutions for the production of CO-free hydrogen (CO<10 ppm) for PEMFC, demonstrating that the membrane technology and, in particular, membrane reactors represent a suitable alternative to the traditional plants for H2 production/purification. Dr. Brunetti was nominated for the award by Professor Jurgen Caro (Leibniz University of Hannover) and Professor Fabrizio Cavani (University of Bologna). Prof. Caro wrote: "I was deeply impressed by the high scientific level and by the successful bridging between fundamental science and potential industrial application." Prof. Cavani stated: "The approach proposed represents an outstanding contribution to research and to the practice in membrane engineering, applicable in the process industries." The award has been presented on August 31, 2010 at the 19th International Congress of Chemical and Process Engineering CHISA 2010 and the 7th European Congress of Chemical Engineering ECCE-7 held in Prague, Czech Republic on 28 August - 1 September During the ceremony Prof. Drioli introduced the winner who received the prize from Prof. A. Nagy (Corvinus University of Budapest). page 35

36 Upcoming events 1st STF Conference: EU-CHINA RESEARCH: A NEW APPROACH Marriott Hotel Northeast, Beijing, March 17-18, 2011 Source: Delegation of the European Union to China Although many tens of thousands of Chinese scientists have studied and worked in Europe over the last thirty years, very few Europeans have made the reverse trip to live and carry out research in China. Now a new European Union initiative the Science and Technology Fellowship Programme China (STF China) - aims to begin to redress this balance, bringing benefits to both Europe and China and promoting stronger cooperation in the future. The 1 st STF Conference will be held at the Marriott Hotel Northeast in Beijing on March 17 and 18, The conference will look at the achievements made in research by the STF Fellows of the 1st Intake, as well as examining the challenges of doing research in China. The Science and Technology Fellowship Programme China (STF China) is an ambitious Programme with the focus on making the European Union an increasingly credible partner in China s fast growing research environment. The Programme commenced on August 18, The overall purpose of the programme is to promote the mobility of European researchers towards the Chinese research and development area, and build a bridge between Europe and China, over which a stream of research will flow in both directions. The EU is in particular interested in creating stronger ties with Chinese research institutions through an exchange of people and knowledge, which will benefit both China and the European member states in the future. Also the 10 th China EU summit held in Beijing on 28 November 2007 expressed the willingness to continue to strengthen the scientific and technological cooperation and to encourage programmes assisting the mobility of researchers, especially facilitating the participation of European researchers in Chinese funded programmes. However to be successful the researchers will need to have a solid understanding of the Chinese language, its culture as well as how to smoothly work together with their Chinese counterparts in a productive way. The STF Fellows of the 1st intake will come together in Beijing to present the results of their research during the two days of the conference, and to discuss various aspects of doing research in China. The conference will be attended by all STF Fellows, officials from the Delegation of the European Union to China, S&T counsellors from Embassies of EU Member States, as well as Chinese officials and academics. page 36

37 4 th World Congress of Industrial Biotechnology-2011 April 25-29, 2011 Place: Dalian, China Website: IBIO-2011 consists of 10 scientific tracks, panel discussions, free communications, poster presentations, and exhibition booths that will cover all the main industrial biotechnology aspects and will give you the opportunity to be updated in all the sectors in industrial biotechnology. On behalf of the organizing committee, I am pleased to welcome you to join us and give a presentation at one of the following Session: Track 1: Industrial Microbiology Track 1-1: Ecology, Omics, and System Biology of Industrial Microorganisms Track 1-2: Synthetic Biology for Metabolic Engineering Pathway Regulations Track 1-3: Highly Productive Fermentation, Cell Culture and Bioreactors Track 1-4: Robust Enzymes and Biocatalyst Production: From Mild to Extremophilic Enzymes Track 1-5: Industrial Microbiology for Natural Products and Special Chemicals Meanwhile you could share your present work in the following way: 1. Listen to 500 Oral Presentations on the Latest Tech Trend of Global White Biotechnology Development 2. Visit 100 Project Posters on New Technologies Implemented in Industrial Manufacturing 3. Communicate with 800 Colleagues and Friends Worked in Industrial Biotechnologies in China and Beyond 4. Meet with 100 Bioprocess Leading Suppliers from all Industrial Biotechnology Related Areas Under our SAB members contributions and endeavor, IBIO-2010 was successfully held during July 25-27, 2010 in Dalian, China. Altogether, 500 participants from 39 countries and regions participated in the conference. Dr. Nancy W. Y. Ho, Founder and President, Green Tech America, Inc; Research Professor, School of Chmeical Engineering, Purdue University, USA, Dr. Thomas Nagy, Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President, Novozymes A/S, Denmark, Dr. Guo-Hua Miao, Director & General Manager, DuPont China R&D Center, China as well as international major project owners, chief of foreign academic and research institutions who would like to open up markets and investment in Chinese international business. More details: Ms. Amy Qiao Program Coordinator World Congress of Industrial Biotechnology Gaoneng St., R405, Dalian Hightech Zone Dalian, LN , China Tel: Fax: amy@bit-ibio.com Web: page 37

38 2011 International Seminar on Advanced Membrane Operations in Water Purification and Water Reuse Weihai, China, September 15-17, 2011 Sponsors: Department of International Cooperation, MOST Department of Science and Technology of Shandong Province Weihai Municipal Government Membrane Industry Association of China European Membrane Society The National Research Council of Italy Organizers: Harbin Institute of Technology Weihai Science and Technology Bureau Institute on Membrane Technology - National Research Council of Italy Sino-EU Membrane Technology Research & Development Centre in Weihai Weihai Science & Technology Exchange Center with Foreign Countries Background Water resources shortage caused by water pollution is drawing more and more attention in the world. As a new growing technology, membrane has been widely used in water purification and water reuse. In order to promote the development of membrane technology in water treatment and set up an exchanging and cooperating platform for experts, scholars and enterprises, the International Seminar on Advanced Membrane Operations in Water Purification and Water Reuse is going to be held at Weihai, China from September 15 to 17, The Seminar is an important scientific and technological event sponsored by both China and EU, which has been listed in the Conference Plan for China International Science and Technology Cooperation. Before this, six sessions on membrane application have been held at Weihai since For this Seminar, we will invite experts, research organizations and enterprises in membrane technology field from China, EU, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Australia etc. to take part in. Prof. Enrico Drioli, Prof. Lidietta Giorno, Prof. Li Guibai, Prof. Gao Congjie will participate and deliver keynote speeches. We are looking forward to your coming to Weihai in September! page 38

39 The 6 th Sino-US Chemical Engineering Conference Beijing, China, November 7 th - 10 th, 2011 Cosponsors: Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chemical Industry & Engineering Society of China, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Co-organizers: National Institute of Clean & Low Carbon Energy of China and the Institute of Process Engineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Due to the challenges we face in energy, resources and environment, the theme of this conference is chemical engineering for clean energy, emphasizing the role of chemical engineers in the development of clean & sustainable processes, products, and services to meet the ever-growing demand on energy and needs to reduce emissions. The purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for scientists, engineers and practitioners to exchange and share their views and latest research findings in chemical engineering sciences and to promote collaborations among participants from China, US and other countries. List of Symposia 1. Fossil energy 2. Non-fossil energy 3. Chemicals and oils from coal 3. Resources and green technologies 4. Materials and nano technologies 5. Petrochemicals 6. Separations and environmental technologies 7. Particle and fluidization technology 8. Bio-energy and Bio-fuels 9. Catalysis and reaction engineering 10. Multiscale chemical systems and transport processes 11. Thermodynamics and interfacial phenomena 12. Panel discussions on challenges and opportunities in the energy industry 13. Panel discussions on research and education of chemical engineering in the 21st Century 14. Poster papers page 39

40 3 rd International Congress on Green Process Engineering, GPE 2011 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 6-8 December 2011 This event is expected to bring together more than 400 local and international scientists and experts from universities, industries, government agencies and businesses that are involved in sustainable green process technologies. Further information about the congress and the first announcement are now available on the congress website: Registration and abstract submission are activated. The deadline for abstract submission is 12 January We will be soliciting ISI ranked journals to publish selected articles presented at the congress. If you need any further information, please don t hesitate to contact the Secretariat at: gpe2011@inptoulouse.fr; mailto:gpe2011@inp-toulouse.fr Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman & Mohamed Kheireddine Aroua, University of Malaya Martine Poux & Patrick Cognet, University of Toulouse CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT INPT - SAIC "GPE 2011" 6 allée Emile Monso BP Toulouse Cedex 4 (France) Phone: +33 (0) Fax: +33 (0) Mail : gpe2011@inp-toulouse.fr; mailto:gpe2011@inp-toulouse.fr page 40

41 Past events Third international Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN) Conference South Kensington, London, September 13-15, 2010 The third international Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN) Conference, held on September 13-15, 2010 in South Kensington, London, was organized by Imperial College and supported by three European Commission Marie Curie Action funded projects IMeTi, Insolex and Nemopur. The aim of the conference was to provide a common platform for scientific exchanges on new ideas and the latest research works in the still young, but rapidly growing, field of OSN and its areas of application. The conference explored all relevant aspects of OSN, including membrane synthesis and characterization, modeling of the transport mechanism, applications in the food, pharmaceutical, fine chemical and petro-chemical industries. A compelling program, featuring an exciting line-up of international speakers who presented in-depth information about the latest OSN technologies and products, was arranged by organizers. Also, insights from some of the leading industrial organizations involved in OSN applications were presented as well and posters presented by researchers to illustrate leading edge research to an international audience, were available at the conference site. The event represented also as excellent opportunity for networking, collaborations and partnerships among scientist coming from different areas of expertise. Prizes were assigned for the best presentations given by early career researchers. Workshop on Membrane Systems in Medicine, Artificial Organs and Regenerative Medicine Weihai, November 15-17, 2010 In order to strengthen the cooperation on membrane technology between China and European Countries and to promote the application and development of membrane in biology and medicine fields, China-EU Workshop on Membrane Systems in Medicine, Artificial Organs and Regenerative Medicine has been held at Weihai, China from November to 18 15, Before this, five sessions of China-EU conference on membrane have been held successfully since The workshop has been sponsored by the Department of International Cooperation, the Ministry of Science & Technology, the European Membrane Society, the Department of Science and Technology of Shandong Province and the Weihai Municipal Government and organized by the Weihai Science & Technology Bureau, the Harbin Institute at Weihai, the Institute on Membrane Technology, Italy (ITM-CNR), the Weihai Science & Technology Exchange Center with Foreign Countries, the Sino-EU Membrane Technology Research & Development Centre at Weihai. Experts and enterprise involved in membrane application fields attended the conference. After the lectures, the young researchers were given the opportunity to meet with teachers in an interesting discussion on the application of membrane technology as advances technique in medical field. Chinese authorities taken the workshop have shown great care and interest to the themes discussed. New idea for future collaborations between European and Chinese research groups and next membrane related events have been proposed. page 41

42 Intellectual Property in China: What protection? Congress Center, Einaudi Meet, Torino, 22 November 2010 The International Centre for Internationalization organized the conference "Intellectual Property in China: What protection?", Held in the hall of the Congress Center, Einaudi Meet, Torino on 22 November 2010, the second Understanding China SME roundtable on Intellectual Property Rights in China took place on 22 November 201 in Turin, Italy. It was organised by Unioncamere in cooperation with CEIpiemonte. This 1-day event was divided in two sessions: a morning info-seminar and an afternoon roundtable. At the morning plenary session the following issues were discussed: - the current China IPR environment, legal framework and local players involved in IPR protection issues - an overview of the EU strategy as to IPR and support measures and tools for EU companies - a focus on the support measures provided at local, national and international level - professional advice on specific issues given by highly qualified professionals The afternoon roundtable gave an opportunity to debate on issues tackled in the morning in more detail. In addition, two case studies were introduced to illustrate experience of 2 Italian SMEs that faced counterfeiting issues in China. The roundtable was moderated by an expert in Chinese law, prof. Gianmaria Ajani. The keynote speakers from the morning session further animated the debate. Both the background and event report of the workshop were forwarded to the European Commission as recommendations for further developments regarding the IPR protection. page 42

43 List of events of interest DATE PROGRAM TITLE LOCATION MORE INFO March 13-17, 2011 AIChE Spring National Meeting Chicago (IL) Contact: Fausto GallucciWeb: March 21-23, 2011 EURATOM-China workshops on nuclear Beijing (and also in Shenzhen 24- European Commission and CAEA Science, Technology and Environment section: March 28-31, 2011 April 10-13, 2011 April 13-14, 2011 April 16-20, 2012 April April 25-29, 2011 April 25-29, 2011 April 25-29,2011 April May 8-11, 2011 May 11 12, 2011 May 11-15, 2011 June 4-8, 2011 June 20 24, 2011 June 26-1 July 2011 July 5-6, 2011 research cooperation 2011 Membrane Technology Conference & Exposition 1 st International conference on clean energy Nanobiosciences Workshop 11th World Filtration Congress, WFC11 2 nd Symposium on Enzymes & Biocatalysis-2011 (SEB- 2011) BIT's 1st Annual World Congress of Bioenergy (WCBE-2011) BIT 2nd Annual Symposium of Enzymes and Biocatalysis (SEB-2011) BIT'4th Annual World Congress of Industrial Biotechnology (IBIO-2011) Separations for Biotechnology Supported by the EFB Section on Biochemical Engineering Sciences (ESBES) ICheaP-10 The tenth International Conference on Chemical & Process Engineering ChinaBio Partnering Forum 2011 Asian Congress on Biotechnology 2011 (ACB- 2011) NAMS th International Conference on Catalysis in Membrane Reactors(ICCMR'10) Symposium P Membrane Materials and Technologies for Emerging Applications (ICMAT 2011) Sino-European workshop on Environmental Research (SPRING project) 25 March) Loang Beach (California) Dalian China Beijing China Graz (Austria) Dalian China Dalian China Dalian China Dalian China Manchester, UK Florence, Italy Beijing China Shanghai China Las Vegas, NV USA Saint- Petersburg, Russia Suntec, Singapore Beijing China delegation-china@ec.europa.eu Web: CAS/Royal Society of Chemistry Joint Research Centre/China Academy of Inspection and Quarantine Science, Technology and Environment section: delegation-china@ec.europa.eu Web: Web: Web: Web: Web: Web: Web: hp Web: Contact: Peter Pintauro and Glenn LipscombWeb: Web: membrane_centre@nus.edu.sg Website: SPRING Project (European Commission) page 43

44 July 18_21, 2011 July 24-30, 2011 September 2-5, 2012 September 23-26, 2012 September 25-29, 2011 September 2012 October 4-7, 2011 AMTA/SEDA 2011Joint Conference and Exposition Membranes are the solution ICOM ND international symposium on chemical reaction engineering (ISCR 22) 15th European Congress on Biotechnology 8th European Congress of Chemical Engineering, ECCE2011 Euromembrane th IWA Specialist Conference on Membrane Technology Miami Beach (Florida) Amsterdam, The Netherlands Maastricht, The Netherlands Istanbul, Turkey Berlin, Germany London, United Kingdom Aachen, Germany Web: ponsorship.pdf Contact: Matthias Wessling, Web: Web: Web: dia&lang=en Contact: Andrew Livingston Web: page 44

45 Overview of books on Membrane Technology Book-review: Advances in Membrane Science and Technology, Editor: Tongwen Xu In recent years, the applications of membranes and related technologies have been extended to environmental, chemical, medical, food, and energy industries, and many related books were published to awaken the reader's interest. This book, however, is not intended to make a summary of the literature in these areas but to explore the advanced membrane technologies for human life. This book is composed of eight chapters. Chapter 1 from H. Strathmann is a random walk from water desalination and artificial kidneys to fuel cell separators and membrane reactors. Present membrane technologies are assessed and research needs for future development are introduced. More important, the membrane application dreams that might not or might never come true are summarized. The assessment is based on the author s decades of research experience in membrane fields and thus deserves the attention of researchers in the corresponding fields. Naturally, there is a possibility that further improvement may bring some of the never-come-true dreams to reality in the future. Chapter 2 from T.W. Xu covers different aspects of ion exchange membranes, including the development, preparation, and applications. Newly-developed methods and industrial applications are highlighted and visualized with illustrations, such as diffusion dialysis for acid recovery, electrodialysis in aqueous-organic systems, and electrodialysis with bipolar membranes. Membrane applications as in renewable energy sources have been paid much attention in the last decades due to the depletion of fossil fuels and global environmental problems. In this context, proton exchange membranes and fuel cells are discussed in Chapter 3 authorized by J. Kerres. The state-of-art, structural features, performances, advantages, and disadvantages of different types of fuel cell electrolytes are overviewed. Furthermore, the importance of long-term stability and membrane degradation is emphasized. Chapter 4 introduces the membranes prepared from a novel kind of materials organic-inorganic or organic-inorganic hybrid membranes. These membranes are expected to be applied under harsh conditions such as high temperature and strongly oxidizing circumstances. The authors probe into the history, classification, nomenclature, preparation, and applications of hybrid membranes. Chapter 5 from T.S. Chung concentrates on pervaporation membranes. Apart from an overview on the fundamentals and theories, more emphasis is paid to recent research progress in separations by using pervaporation membranes. Hydrophilic membranes, organophilic membranes, and organoelective membranes are introduced together with the industrial applications and commercial aspects in three major areas: organic dehydration, separation of organic materials from dilute aqueous solutions, and organic-organic separation. Chapter 6 by In S. Kim picks up a hot topic in our daily life recycling of municipal wastewater by using membrane bioreactors (MBR). After going through the fundamentals, membrane fouling, flux decline models, and finally the current practice of MBR, the readers will be convinced that MBR is a most promising biological process for wastewater treatment and water reuse. One of the distinctive characteristics of membrane technologies is the flexibility for integration, which is crucial to the realization of multiple functions needed for a specific complex industrial application. Besides, integrated membrane processes have advantages in terms of environmental benignity and energy efficiency. Chapter 7 from H.J. Lee treats of such technique integrations: integrations based on ion exchange membranes (desalting electrodialysis, electrodialysis with bipolar membranes, reactors with ion exchange membranes, ion exchange with ion exchange membranes, etc.) and integrations based on other membrane processes. Membrane controlled release, the focus of Chapter 8 by L.Y. Chu, is an emerging membrane technology which has proved important in medical and pharmaceutical applications. Several kinds of environmental stimuli-responsive membrane controlled release systems and processes, including thermo-responsive, phresponsive, glucose-responsive, and molecular-recognizable ones, are introduced and discussed. The perspective for the controlled release based on functional membrane technology is also outlined. In general, the book is very interesting and provides the reader with plentiful information on different advanced membrane technologies today and in the future. The materials of this book are well selected and organized. Valuable information and enlightening ideas will be useful to all the scientists and researchers in membrane area. The book is well suited for students and engineers who want a comprehensive and easy-tounderstand book. Besides, dabblers can find food for thought in some chapters. Cui-Ming Wu School of Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, People s Republic of China Advances in Membrane Science and Technology is published by Nova Science Publishers Inc., ISBN , 2009, $79. page 45

46 Comprehensive Membrane Science and Engineering Enrico Drioli, Lidietta Giorno (eds) ISBN 13: , Elsevier, July 2010 Key Features - Covers membrane science theory and economics, as well as applications ranging from chemical purification and natural gas enrichment to potable water - Includes contributions and case studies from internationally recognized experts and from up-and-coming researchers working in this multi-billion dollar field - Takes a unique, multidisciplinary approach that stimulates research in hybrid technologies for current (and future) life-saving applications (artificial organs, drug delivery) Description This multivolume work covers all aspects of membrane science and technology--from basic phenomena to the most advanced applications and future perspectives. Modern membrane engineering is critical to the development of process-intensification strategies and to the stimulation of industrial growth. The work presents researchers and industrial managers with an indispensable tool toward achieving these aims. Readership Academic and industrial researchers working in the area of membranes and their application: wastewater, desalination, adsorption, catalysis, etc., process engineers in separation science, membrane scientists, biologists and biochemists, consultants and environmental scientists Membrane Technology, Volume 3: Membranes for Food Applications Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor / Pereira Nunes, Suzana / Giorno, Lidietta (eds.) ISBN-13: Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, July 2010 Short description The complete reference on Membrane Processes in the Food Industry, from Membrane Filtration, Electrodialysis and Membrane Emulsification to Membrane Contactors in Processing and Bioreactors through to Membranes for Food Packaging. From the contents - Cross-Flow Membrane Applications in the Food Industry - Membrane Processes for Dairy Fractionation - Milk and Dairy Effluents Processing: Comparison of Cross-Flow and Dynamic Filtrations - Electrodialysis in the Food Industry - Membrane Processes in Must and Wine Industries - New Applications for Membrane Technologies in Enology - Membrane Emulsification for Food Applications - Membrane Contactors in Integrated Processes for Fruit-Juice Processing - Membrane Bioreactors in Functional Food Ingredients Production - Membranes for Food Packaging Seawater Pretreatment Nikolay Voutchkov ISBN: , Water Treatment Academy, May 2010 Book Contents Introduction to Seawater Pretreatment ; Membrane Foulants and Seawater Pretreatment; Measurement of Seawater Fouling Potential; Seawater Intakes and Pretreatment; Seawater Pretreatment by Screening; Source Water Conditioning; Sand Removal, Sedimentation and Dissolved Air Flotation; Granular Media Filtration; Membrane Filtration; Comparison of Granular Media and Membrane Pretreatment; General Guidelines for Pretreatment System Selection; Reverse Osmosis System Design and Pretreatment ; Pretreatment Technologies, Future Outlook and Trends; References; Abbreviations; Units; Glossary; Index page 46

47 Focus on Research MED INA MEDINA website: MEDINA: an innovative project with a 3.3 Mio euro EU-funding for the development of Membrane-Based Desalination Systems In 2006 the European Commission decided to boost the sustainable development of desalination processes through the financing of Membrane-Based Desalination: An Integrated Approach project (acronym MEDINA) within the scope of its 6 th Framework Program. The project started formally on 15 th October 2006, it ended on 14 th January 2010 and its outcomes have been collected in the work entitled Membrane-based Desalination: An integrated Approach published by IWA Publishing. Aim of the project (coordinated by Prof. Enrico Drioli from University of Calabria ITALY) was to improve the current design and operation practices of membrane systems used for water desalination. The proposed approach was based on the integration of different membrane operations in RO pre-treatment and posttreatment stages according to the philosophy of Process Intensification. The project was structured into nine Work Packages, which were strictly related each other: - WP1: Water Quality Assessment Tools - WP2: Evaluation and Comparison of Seawater and Brackish Water Pretreatment Processes - WP3: Development of Tools for RO Fouling Characterization and Understanding - WP4: Development of Cleaning Strategies for RO Membranes - WP5: Process strategies for mitigation of impact of concentrates on the environment - WP6: Innovative Technologies to Reduce Energy Consumption in Seawater Desalination Facilities - WP7: Optimization and Modelling of Seawater and Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis Desalination Processes - WP8: Integrated system configuration - WP9: Environmental Impact Assessment and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of Membrane-Based Desalination Plants During the 39 months of project, numerous deliverables have been released on the investigated topics. The main results achieved by the different Work Packages are presented in the following. Work Package 1 (WP1): Water Quality Assessment Tools Different analytical tools were implemented with particular attention to their adaptation to seawater (high salinity) conditions, as reported below. The PHREEQC program was used for solubility predictions. During calculations, Pitzer activity coefficients were incorporated. This improvement makes the PHREEQC a very accurate method of calculating the supersaturation of the solution with regards to different salts. A protocol for liquid chromatography with organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) for assessing surface and sea water quality was defined. The fouling potential of seawater was investigated. To develop a better understanding of the fouling potential of the RO feed waters, Modified Fouling Indexes (MFI-UF) and Crossflow sampler - Modified Fouling Index (CFS-MFI) were also developed. A Biofouling Indicator which combines the assay Biodegradable Dissolved Organic Compounds (BDOC) with LC-OCD was introduced to characterise the amount of biodegradable organic carbon compounds. A monitoring method for calcium carbonate scaling was developed to predict the scaling potential of low-solubility salts (e.g., CaCO3). Three methods were tested, namely, conductivity, ph meter and ICP at high saline concentrates similar to that of SWRO plants. ICP shows high deviation due t o salinity while ph and conductivity were able to predict correctly the change in water composition due to scaling. ph measurements were the most stable and accurate in the three tested methods making it the best tool to be used in CaCO3 scaling monitoring. Microbial community in seawater was characterized in terms of abundance, diversity and species identification. Seasonal variations affected the type and the quantity of bacteria and the microfiltration (MF) performed better than conventional pre-treatments (DMF), leading to a total bacteria rejection of 96% vs 66%. The identification of pre-treatments able to remove nutrients together with bacteria was indicated as a way to pursue for reducing biofouling. page 47

48 WP2: Evaluation and Comparison of Seawater and Brackish Water Pretreatment Processes Different pre-treatment processes were investigated, such as microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption and ferric chloride (FeCl3) flocculation, evaluating their capability in removing seawater organic matter (SWOM) and the characteristics of the foulants on the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membranes. The efficiency of the different analysed pre-treatments was evaluated by means of fouling and biofouling indexes developed in WP1, and of autopsy results achieved in WP3. Studies on ultrafiltration (UF) as pre-treatment showed that a retention of organic compounds up to 70% can be obtained by coupling UF with an adsorption unit. By comparing the only MF/UF, with no use of coagulants or adsorbents, to Dual Media Filtration (DMF) working after coagulation/flocculation units, it resulted that the membrane system provided a better SDI-MFI, but the RO module fed with the MF/UF water suffered of a higher organic fouling. Flocculation Train 1 : Flocculation + dual-media filtration FeCl3 Polymer H2SO4 ph=6.8 Anthracite Sand Dual-media Filtration Pretreated water tank Cartridge filter 5µm SWRO Dow 1 pressure vessel SW30 HRLE 4040 R=20% Flux=19.6LMH RW tank Sand removal Train 2: Submerged microfiltration Microfiltration Jp=50 LMH Cartridge filter 5µm SWRO Dow 1 pressure vessel SW30 HRLE 4040 R=20% Flux=19.6LMH Open Intake Coagulation/Flocculation+ DMF vs Submerged MF UF/MF submerged units were also investigated and optimised in terms of operating mode. Backwash was not high effective in reducing the reversible fouling for 0.2 µm PP membrane, whereas worked quite well for 0.04 µm PVDF membranes, leading to a reversible fouling reduction ranging from 70-90%. The removal of particulate matter and organics from seawater by the use of biofiltration was also investigated. Granular activated carbon (GAC) and anthracite were tested as a filter medium at two different velocities. The filtrate quality was evaluated by measuring the silt density index (SDI), modified fouling index (MFI) and turbidity removal. Both biofilters demonstrated similar behavior in terms of SDI and MFI. By using MBR as pretreatment, it was possible to strongly reduce the biofouling on RO membranes. MBR as a pre-treatment to SWRO, presented as crucial stage the identification of the most appropriate conditions for achieving the optimal treatment conditions. For this purpose, a lab system has been built and the microbial diversity has been characterized. WP3 Development of Tools for RO Fouling Characterization and Understanding Comprehensive membrane autopsies were performed to gather detailed information on the root causes of fouling. Seven RO membrane modules from full-scale desalination plants were analyzed. Membrane autopsies were conducted by using different techniques: AFM, SEM-EDX, FTIR-ATR were conducted directly on membrane pieces; other analyses, such as ICP, LC-OCD, pyrolysis and thermochemolysis GC/MS chromatographs, 13 C-NMR spectra were performed on the deposit recovered from the RO membrane. The methods used were modifications of already existing methods which were validated/used for freshwater samples or biofilms. These analyses aimed at enumerating bacteria, quantifying microbial activity, characterizing organic matter and identifying minerals involved in the fouling phenomenon. A total of 23 methods were used for each module and two handbooks on basic and advanced analytical tools for performing autopsy were prepared. page 48

49 Specific microorganisms present in the deposit were identified by methods of culturing and molecular biology. Biofouling resulted to be the major type of fouling in full-scale pilot plants and for one site (Site D) SWRO membrane usage time appeared to influence bacterial community composition more than the intake water quality. The antiscalants effects on biofouling of RO membranes were also investigated. Polyphosphonates serve as P sources, whereas polyacrylates increase bacterial deposition by varying membrane physicochemical properties. A faster flux decline and salt rejection reduction was observed with polyacrylates, indicating the enhanced bacteria deposition as the major cause of biofouling. WP4 Development of Cleaning Strategies for RO Membranes The effect of cleaning procedures was determined by using either fluorescence scanner (image analysis) or confocal laser scanning microscopy. The obtained data so far confirmed that effective removal of foulants is difficult to achieve, with (adverse) effects depending on the nature of foulants and the applied chemicals, demonstrating that a taylor-made approach is needed. The selection of cleaners was made at bench scale first and, after, the selected cleaners were applied at pilot scale. EDTA (alkaline) and Oxalic Acid (acidic) were the most effective cleaners in batch scale tests and, as combined alkaline/acidic cleaners, NaOH/SDS & oxalic acid as well as NaOH/SDS & Hydrex 4900, gave the best results, as also confirmed by the pilot plant tests on different modules. The use of oxalic acid allowed a high removal of metallic elements, especially iron. However, no significant difference in terms of normalized hydraulic performances (pressure drop and salt rejection) was achieved and no impact on microbiological content was found. WP5 Process strategies for mitigation of impact of concentrates on the environment The possibility of disposing the RO concentrate (starting from brackish water) by injecting it into deeper (saline) aquifers was investigated through fields pilot tests. A pilot location (Zevenbergen, The Netherlands) at which brackish water can be treated for testing the performance of Fresh holder/brackish water RO approach was found. Location of abstraction (OP), injection (IP) and observation wells (WP) at BWRO pilot Zevenbergen. In autumn 2009 the RO installation was tested after which, in December 2009, injection of the membrane concentrate was started successfully. The pilot will run for 4 consecutive years and results of the pilot will be made publicly available. WAIV (wind-aided intensified evaporation) was used for treating the reverse osmosis brine. Water recoveries ranging from 75 to 88% and enrichments in magnesium salts were achieved. The efficiency of the evaporation rates from WAIV can be 50-90% relative to open ponds with a footprint of about 1/10. Deposit thicknesses during these concentration runs did not appear to exceed ~2 mm on each wetted surface. The average brine evaporation cost is around 0.68 Euro/m 3. A WAIV installation at the desert of Negev (Israel) A software on Vacuum Membrane Distillation (VMD) Modelling was achieved. It runs for flat-sheet membranes but also for hollow fibre membranes with inside-outside configuration. The software can be used with high salt concentrations and it computes local and global values as well. Comparison between modelling and experimental results shows a good accuracy. the recovering the produced crystals. Lab scale experiments with Membrane Crystallizers (MCr) were carried out in order to test their performance as a post-treatment to sea/brackish water RO desalination plants. A Membrane Crystallizer plant was developed in order to avoid crystals deposition inside membrane module. In particular, a crystals recovery system was put right for page 49

50 Recovery factors higher than 95% in the integrated system NF+MCr were reached. The achieved particles have been characterized in terms of crystal size distribution (CSD), coefficient of variation (CV), middle diameter (dm), shape and growth rate. The target design of CV less than 35% has been reached when crystals are grown und milder conditions. The obtained NaCl crystals showed the characteristic cubic block-like form in accordance with the expected geometry of the NaCl crystals. The cubic shape has been also confirmed by the length/width ratio distributions. The effect of organics on crystals size, coefficient of variation (CV) and crystals growth rate has been analyzed. In particular, the achieved results proved that the presence of humic acid (the main component of the Natural Organic Matter contained in waters) inhibits crystals growth rate, while the presence of ions accelerates kinetic rate of NaCl crystallization. WP6: Innovative Technologies to Reduce Energy Consumption in Seawater Desalination Facilities New flat sheet hydrophobic membranes based on PVDF or PTFE and new PVDF microporous fibers to be used for membrane distillation were produced, characterised and applied in VMD tests. Specifically, VMD was investigated as alternative way of treating seawater. For both geometries, by properly choosing the operating conditions, VMD trans-membrane fluxes of around 10 kg/m 2 /h were obtained. SEM pictures of flat microporous membranes SEM pictures of hollow fiber microporous membranes Membrane contactors prototypes of 0.2 and 1 m 2 of membrane area were realized. To study and to develop a process combining membrane distillation and a solar configuration for sea water desalination, two possible options were studied, designed at lab scale and evaluated : (i) a system including submerged membranes in a solar pond, ii) a system in which the module could be designed as a solar captor. At this purpose, the VMD model developed in WP5 was adapted to simulate solar VMD and to compute water flux, concentration and temperature profiles, and specific energy consumption. Information on thermal and concentration profiles in different solar systems was used and coupled with this model to be able to predict performances of the different configurations. In particular, simulations of 4 different hybrid solar/vmd systems for flat sheet membranes were performed. a b c d Hybrid solar/vmd systems investigated Simulations showed that the best performances in term of permeate flux can be obtained with configurations C and D, which allow reaching close levels of flux. However considerations about the technological feasibility and process design lead to the choice of configuration C. Decision was taken to design the demonstration pilot plant on the basis of configuration C. The demonstration plant was defined in details and manufactured. It was implemented in Tunisia in a village of orphaned children (S.O.S MAHRES). This is a non-governmental social and foster care of children without family support. A meteorological model was selected to describe solar heating in function of captor location, orientation and properties this model was validated by page 50

51 experimental results. It was used to predict temperature levels for different kind of collectors (flat, vacuum, cylindro-paraboloical) and mode of operation (one pass or closed loop). It allows to predict that a temperature level of 65 C could be obtained for a serpentine in closed loop or of 90 C for a vacuum heat collector in closed loop, which allow to be fed with 300 l/h/m 2 of solar area. WP7 Optimization and Modelling of Seawater and Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis Desalination Processes Work package 7 was focused on the research and development of new processes and tools to optimize membrane based seawater and brackish water desalination operations. The work carried out mainly included: optimization of nanofiltration (NF) as softening/ separation method optimization of membrane contactors to control the gas composition in a desalination plant optimization of the hydraulics in spiral wound elements modelling of the reverse osmosis (RO) desalination process New types of non-polyamide NF membranes were produced in order to improve the fouling and cleaning behavior while remaining at least the same rejection performance. The combination of NF as a pretreatment for RO in a desalination process offers potential improvement over the currently used combinations of UF and RO. This improvement potential is in the overall product recovery due to the selectivity of NF, and reduction in chemical pretreatment costs. Selectivity in NF covers a broad range of separation, but for this particular application the research was focused on reduction of hardness (in effect selective passage of sodium chloride and retention of multivalent ions) and thus preventing scaling of RO membranes. Low fouling NF membranes with good flux and softening characteristics were developed based on selective layers of sulfonated polyphenylsulfone with polyvinyl alcohol. The produced membrane showed interesting performance in terms of rejection to ions and fluxes, and, compared to commercial NF (NF 90 and NF 270) in fouling municipal waste streams, had improved performance characteristics. The performance of membrane contactors for removing the dissolved oxygen while controlling the ph in different parts of a desalination plant was optimized in terms of operating conditions and membrane properties. Membranes tested were those developed in WP6. By selecting the appropriate stripping gas phase it was possible to increase or decrease the water ph up to 30% while removing oxygen. It was, therefore, confirmed that by using membrane contactors it is possible to reduce the chemical consumption inside the plant, controlling the water ph and the oxygen content by simply using a gas stream. Further on, the efficiency of membrane contactors was investigated on real waters with and without organics and antiscalants (particularly on seawater and reverse osmosis/waiv concentrates). The achieved results did not deviate from those obtained during tests on synthetic solutions, confirming the potentiality of the proposed technique. As a possible application of membrane contactors in real plants, the ph adjustment in the pre-treatment line of a desalination plant when coagulation is used was considered as case study. For a plant capacity of 1,048 m 3 /h, 26 kg/h H2SO4 98% are normally employed for reducing the seawater ph from 8.1 to 7. Based on the obtained results, the same ph depression can be reached, avoiding the use of chemicals, with membrane contactors and a CO2 amount of 744 kg/h-which is solubilized into the liquid stream. N 2 + CO 2 N 2, O 2out N 2 + CO 2 N 2 + CO 2 ( ( O 2 O 2 Transfer of gases and control of the liquid ph in a membrane contactor by sending as stripping gas a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Liquid, O2out, ph Liquid, O 2in, ph in out A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to simulate and to investigate the hydraulics within spiral wound elements was developed. It was able to simulate steady and transient fluid flow with mass transfer in two-dimensional narrow channels containing a novel non-woven multi-layer spacers and spacer performance at different orientations was evaluated via a basic permeate processing cost analysis. Various configurations incorporating elliptical filaments as the middle spacer layers were simulated and analyzed. By these calculations the spacer configuration could be optimized which resulted in higher mass transfer enhancement, and hence lower permeate processing costs. Various geometries were analysed and the L configuration and positive angles was the most promising. page 51

52 3D-90 Orientation 3D-45 Orientation A3LS-0 A3LS-90 Some of the spacer configurations investigated A laboratory test unit to simulate spiral wound elements with the possibility of different spacer designs was also built. The conventional Artificial Neural Network (ANN) structure was modified and dynamised by using the equation for the determination of the mass transfer coefficient as additional or alternative input parameter. After training the modified ANN were validated and used to predict the performance of RO spiral wound modules on the basis of measured data sets (like water quality parameters and operational parameters). WP8 Integrated system configuration WP8 aimed at using the results achieved in the others WPs as a guidelines for implementing the integration of the different membrane units in order to improve the overall efficiency of the desalination process. In particular, the research was addressed to: i. modelling of different membrane-based integrated desalination systems. ii. building and improvement of an integrated membrane system in lab-scale for carrying out experimental tests; iii. economic analysis of membrane desalination systems; iv. evaluation and comparison of the proposed integrated membrane desalination systems through the recourse of some quantitative indicators (i.e., water recovery factor, permeate quality, brine concentration and energy consumption). Different combinations of membrane units, previously identified, were modeled and by using Simulink, an application of MATLAB specifically designed for simulating dynamical systems using standard block diagram notation. In each of the analysed desalination systems, different membrane operations were integrated: both MF and NF were introduced for feed water pre-treatment and load reduction to the following RO unit, a precipitator and a membrane crystallizer (MCr) were added on NF and/or RO brine as post-treatment step. In particular, MCr operated on NF brine in the first analysed flow sheet (FS1), on RO brine in the second one (FS2), both on RO and NF brine in FS3. In the last flow sheet (FS4), MCr was introduced on NF brine while membrane distillation (MD) operated on RO brine. Once the composition of all involved streams and the size of the membrane units were calculated, the flow-sheets were compared in terms of quantitative Flow sheet 1 indicators, such as water recovery factor, brine reduction, permeate quality improvements and costs. The MF introduction led to benefits because it provides an NF/RO feedwater of good quality in view of lower capital and operating cost. By introducing the NF unit for the feed water pre-treatment, MD the RO permeate increases due to the lower osmotic pressure of the water fed to the unit (related to the removal of bivalent ions by NF). In fact coupling the two units (NF+RO), a global recovery factor of 52% can be obtained. The introduction of a membrane crystallizer unit on both retentate streams (FS3) allowed to increase the plant recovery factor so much that it can reach 92,4% (with a consequent brine reduction of 86.4% with respect to conventional RO plants), value higher than that of a conventional membrane desalination process (such as a typical RO unit -about 40%) and higher than that of a typical MSF (about 10%). For what concerns salts, the highest production is also when the membrane crystallizer unit operates on both retentate streams (FS3). page 52

53 WP9 Environmental Impact Assessment and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of Membrane-Based Desalination Plants WP9 was mainly focused on the evaluation of the environmental concerns of desalination plants. In particular, the scope and formal requirements of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for membrane desalination plants was investigated starting from existing general EIA frameworks and manual, which have been adjusted to membrane desalination plants. A deliverable, published by the United Nations Environment Programme in a UNEP/WHO joint guidance document on desalination, was released as exploitable knowledge. To elaborate a methodology and criteria for conducting project EIAs, a decision support system was developed using multi-criteria analysis. Decision-making is the last and most crucial step of an EIA in which the results of the EIA and many other aspects such as stakeholder interests need to be balanced. For structured and transparent decision-making, it is necessary to develop a systematic decision support system which supports the decisionmaking process. Multi-criteria analysis (MCA) can be used to identify a single most preferred option, to rank options, or to distinguish acceptable from unacceptable options. Roadmap to decision making using MCA page 53