The Programme Strategic Scientific Alliances aims to establish a new form of structural long-term scientific cooperation. These "strategic scientific alliances" are of mutual benefit to the Netherlands and China. Projects are limited to a number of priority research fields, i.e. material sciences, biotechnology/drug research, and environmental science.

Objective

The programme will run for a total of 15 years. By the time it ends, there should be two or three strategic scientific alliances in the three priority research fields.

The Academy defines a strategic scientific alliance as a partnership in which Dutch and Chinese partners participate equally in ongoing research activities, PhD training and other training and knowledge-sharing activities for postdocs and senior researchers.

The alliance is expected to play an instrumental role in forming a scientific research network. This network will encourage mutual information and knowledge-sharing and joint use of available equipment, research facilities, methods and techniques. The available expertise and facilities must be complementary. Alliance participants are expected to develop a unique joint line of research.

Timeframe

After a preparatory phase, 15 projects were admitted to the PSA Project Phase (2004-2007).

The programme is now in the Programme Phase. In December 2007, the Academy and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) selected six projects to continue on to the Programme Phase. Only projects that had already entered the Project Phase were eligible for selection. 

At the beginning of 2014, the Academy and MoST will select two or three of the six projects in the Programme Phase to continue to the Strategic Alliances Phase.

Budget

The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is making up to EUR 1.36 million available annually for a period of 13 years, starting with the Project Phase. The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology has agreed to make roughly 10 million Chinese Yuan available, which is equivalent to the Dutch input.