Thanks to a joint funding partnership between the Palaszczuk Government and China’s leading research organisation, Queensland and Chinese researchers can now apply for grants of up to $250,000 to undertake ground-breaking scientific research.
Minister for Science Leeanne Enoch said Queensland had a strong, longstanding partnership with the Chinese Government’s Ministry of Science and Technology to support highly innovative research and development between the two regions.
“The Queensland-Chinese Academy of Sciences (Q-CAS) Collaborative Science Fund is jointly funded by the Palaszczuk Government and the Chinese Academy of Science and provides grants of up to $250,000 over two years to undertake research projects,” Ms Enoch said.
“The fund aims to establish or strengthen collaborative research alliances between Queensland and Chinese researchers and organisations to deliver innovative products, technologies or processes that address current or future scientific challenges.
“The recent coronavirus outbreak is an example of why it is important we maintain our strong science relationship with China, and these grants provide a great opportunity to ensure that relationship continues.
“This year, projects must focus on one of three priority areas – agricultural biotechnology and food research, human health and medical research or environmental science.
“The Chinese Academy of Science is China’s peak research organisation and is delivering highly innovative developments in the natural and technological science fields through its two universities and 110 specialist institutes,” said Ms Enoch.
Queensland and China are internationally recognised as leaders in scientific research and these grants provide an excellent opportunity for our researchers to work with and learn from some of the best.
A previous successful project involved researchers from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), based at the University of Queensland, and the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI) in Beijing working together to study how remote sensing technology can be used to develop crop yield prediction systems to help farmers better cope with seasonal weathers extremes and climate change.
“Queensland is more exposed to climate extremes than any other state in Australia and farmers in China are facing similar volatile seasonal weather conditions,” Ms Enoch said.
“This project allowed both countries to strengthen their ties in the crop science and earth observation research disciplines.
“As a result, Queensland’s agricultural industry will be able to better predict the impact of the weather and climate conditions on wheat crops well before sowing.”
