NSFC-SE "the Paradigm Shift in Scientific Research" Workshop

NSFC-SE “the Effects of the Paradigm Shift in Scientific Research in Addressing Global Challenges and Achieving Sustainable Development” Workshop

On November 16 and 17, 2022, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and Science Europe(SE) held policy workshops on the theme of “the Paradigm Shift in Scientific Research——Focusing on Interdisciplinary Research” and “the Effects of the Paradigm Shift in Scientific Research in Addressing Global Challenges and Achieving Sustainable Development——Focusing on Climate Change”. Nearly 120 participants across 43 scientific institutions from 21 countries, including China, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and Norway, attended the workshop. Xie Xincheng, Vice President of NSFC, and Marc Schiltz, President of the Science Europe and Secretary General of the National Research Foundation of Luxembourg, attended and addressed the workshop on "the Paradigm Shift in Scientific Research". Angelika Kalt, Vice-President of the Swiss National Science Foundation, and Yin Wenxuan, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Bureau, NSFC, attended and addressed the workshop on “the Effects of the Paradigm Shift in Scientific Research in Addressing Global Challenges and Achieving Sustainable Development”.

In his speech, Vice President Xie Xincheng pointed out that the Paradigm Shift in Scientific Research is undergoing a profound change and the world is facing many challenges, and that research funding agencies should respond to this by deepening the reforms and implementing a more open and inclusive international cooperation strategy. President Schulz responded positively to this, and highlighted SE's response and measures to the paradigm shift and global challenges. Based on their own work, Marcel Levi, President of the Netherlands Research Council, Behnam Taebi, Professor of Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, Lillian M. Baltzrud, Special Advisor of the Norwegian Research Council, Feng Jianfeng, Professor of Fudan University, Wang Lei, Researcher of the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Cheng Zhigang of Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences, NSFC, gave reports on how to carry out, encourage and promote interdisciplinary research.

In the workshop on “the Effects of the Paradigm Shift in Scientific Research in Addressing Global Challenges and Achieving Sustainable Development”, the Chinese side is represented by Academician Wang Huijun of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Prof. Zhai Panmao of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, and Liu Zhe, division director of the Earth Science Department, NSFC. The European side is represented by Ismael Ràfols of Leiden University in the Netherlands, José Gutierrez of Spanish National Research Council, and Anne Hélène Richard of the French National Research Agenncy. All participants discussed the characteristics of the current global climate change and put forward opinions and suggestions and exchanged views on funding in this field.

The results of this meeting will be presented at the "3rd High level Strategic and Policy Dialogue " between NSFC and Science Europe in December 2022.