EU and China Discuss Research Mobility and Funding Schemes in Beijing

Chinese researchers in Copenhagen may gain new opportunities from updated EU-China science agreements. European and Chinese officials met in Beijing on October 13, 2026. They held the 17th Joint Steering Committee Meeting on Science and Technology.

Cristina Russo represented the European Commission at the meeting. Zhu Xuehua represented China’s Ministry of Science and Technology. Both sides discussed researcher mobility under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. This initiative supports PhD students and research scholars across Europe.

Officials aligned China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with the EU’s upcoming FP10 research program. They also reviewed joint projects on agriculture, biotechnology, climate change, and biodiversity. Additionally, the EU invited China to join the Global Ocean Eye Alliance.

The previous steering meeting took place in Brussels in November 2024. That event was the first in-person meeting since 2018. Academic institutions in Denmark rely heavily on these bilateral funding channels. European Commission reported these details.