Beijing, China (GLOBE-Net) – Canada has signed a Science and Technology (S&T) Cooperation Agreement with China, designed to promote collaborative research and development activities in key areas, including energy and environmental technologies.

The agreement was signed by Minister of International Trade David Emerson and Xu Guanhua, China’s Minister for Science and Technology, during Emerson’s five day visit to China. The text of the agreement can be found here.

“This agreement is a recognition that both Canada and China are world leaders in science and technology. It will encourage researchers and businesses from our two countries to work together, share expertise and forge new partnerships,” said Emerson.

The agreement promotes collaboration on R&D between Chinese and Canadian academics, and researchers and innovators in the public and private sectors. A key aim of the agreement is to help technology innovators and entrepreneurs bring their products to market more quickly.

The mechanisms to accomplish this will include facilitation of investment in joint science and technology initiatives. Target areas will initially be: energy, the environment, health and life sciences, and agricultural foods and bioproducts.

A Complementarity Study lays out the focus on each sector in more detail; it is available for download here (PDF). Large Chinese cities have shown considerable interest in Canadian technologies for biofuels, clean coal, hydrogen and fuel cells, as well as solutions for clean air and water.

One source of funding available for collaborative research and development projects by industry and academic institutions will be the >em>International Science and Technology Partnerships Program administered by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The program funds cost-shared research and development projects put forward by industry and academic research institutions.

The government is currently seeking a arm’s-length delivery organization to distribute the funds. Full information can be found here.

The deal also includes provisions to protect the intellectual property of Canadian technologies, and government dialogue in this area is to be increased.

China has become a leading technology exporter, and is now home to twice as many young professional engineers as the United States. The government has pledged to spend US$111 billion on R&D by 2020.