Policies, Practices and Potential in Sino-European Research Cooperation: Any Lessons Learned?

Abstract

The article describes the policy context of the EU-China research and innovation collaboration with a focus on the last two decades, and outlines its long-standing challenges as well as most recent issues. It analyses several examples of good practice from European organisations which created innovative approaches towards their activities in China. Despite the ongoing debate across Europe how to rebalance the relationship, cooperation with the world’s second biggest research & development funder is unlikely to decrease. However, the past achievements and failures have formed neither a base for a Europe-wide understanding of the complexities of China’s environment, nor platforms for proper utilisations of Europe’s domestic expertise on China. As a result, the potential to create a balanced relationship in research, innovation and higher education remains untapped.