Minister to sign memorandum of understanding with China’s Ministry of Science and Technology

THE MINISTER FOR research innovation and science is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with China’s Ministry for Science and Technology.

Minister James Lawless has begun a five-day trip to China, where he will visit Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

During this visit, Lawless will undertake a series of engagements, including signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Beijing with the Chinese Minister for Science and Technology, Hejun Yin, on cooperation on science, technology and innovation.

Lawless noted that Ireland has had Research and Innovation MoUs in place with China since 2012, with the most recent signed in 2019.

Speaking ahead of his trip, Lawless said he hopes this “renewed MoU can create opportunities to build on our existing partnership and identify areas of future collaboration”.

He said this MoU could “serve to tackle societal challenges in areas such as climate, food, sustainability and biodiversity”.

He added: “MoUs such as this are intended to provide researchers with the supports they need to undertake and manage effective international research collaborations.”

Elsewhere, Lawless will attend an event, organised by Education in Ireland and Embassy Beijing, on transnational education where several Irish and Chinese higher education institutions will announce new partnership agreements. 

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Lawless will then travel to Shanghai to attend the WorldSkills Competition, where he will meet with Irish competitors.

Meanwhile, Lawless will also lead on a panel discussion on “building more inclusive technical and vocational education and training systems”.

He will also take part in a closed ministerial meeting chaired by Minister of Human Resources and Social Security of China, Xiaoping Wang.

Finally, Lawless will travel to Hong Kong where he will take a tour of the Hong Kong Government’s digital technology hub and AI accelerator, Cyberport.

While there, he will discuss Ireland and Hong Kong’s shared innovation priorities.

Speaking in advance of his visit, Lawless said: “We greatly value our educational relationship with China, and I am looking forward to continuing to expand the links between our two countries as part of this visit.”

He said China has “rapidly become one of the most innovative countries in the world” and added that “Ireland, too, is recognised internationally as a global innovation hub”.

He also noted that China is Ireland’s main partner for transnational education, with the number of joint programmes doubling since 2014.

There are now over 130 joint programmes and 16 Irish higher education institutions and 54 Chinese institutions serving over 16,000 students in China.

“This is a great testament to the positive work being undertaken by our higher education institutions,” said Lawless, “allowing us to bring Irish education standards, our innovation culture and academic values to China.”