UK and China's biggest yet Joint Workshop on Space Science and Technology
British and Chinese scientists, business and government come together in Shanghai for their biggest yet Joint Workshop on Space Science and Technology.
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Nearly 200 participants from British and Chinese universities, business and government organisations will come together over the next three days to explore future co-operation on space science and technology.
The event follows the signing of an MOU in December 2013 between the UK and Chinese national space agencies on the exploration and use of outer space. This is the ninth in a series of annual workshops organised by Beijing’s Beihang University and the UK’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) – both parties to the Secretariat of the UK-China Virtual Joint Space Laboratory. This year’s event, arranged with the assistance of the Shanghai Academy of Space Technology, will be the biggest yet: a reflection of the warm relationship between the two countries’ space authorities and the growing volume of research and commercial collaborations.
The programme will focus on topics of bilateral interest and global concern, including climate change monitoring, planetary exploration and space science experiments. There will be other sessions looking at the commercial opportunities in this field and the possibilities for bilateral people exchange and training.
British Ambassador to China, Mr Sebastian Wood, said in Beijing today:
I am delighted that this workshop is going ahead so soon after the MOU was signed last year. I am excited by the prospect of developing even greater links across academia and business in this important sector. The UK and China are world leaders in space technology and it makes sense for us to encourage our excellent scientists to form new collaborations.
Professor Richard Holdaway, Director of RAL Space said:
I am delighted to be bringing such a large delegation of senior UK space scientists and engineers to Shanghai for this vitally important workshop. It is the culmination of 5 years of close networking between so many groups from the two countries, and highlights the importance of China in the global space programme and the UK’s readiness to work with China.