In 2009, the Royal Society of Chemistry signed a cooperation agreement with the State Administration for Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA), a division of the Chinese Government. As part of a wider governmental initiative to enhance the global impact of Chinese science and China’s higher education institutions, the RSC and SAFEA provide funding for a Visiting Researchers Programme. This encourages academics from the UK to visit Chinese universities to share best practice, advise Chinese researchers on presenting their research to an international audience and to stimulate collaboration between UK and Chinese institutions.
 
This blog provides a space for participants to share their experiences and for the RSC to highlight the opportunities that stem from the SAFEA programme.

*The map is reproduced from the United Nations Statistics Division
 

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Professor Richard Walton (University of Warwick) took part in the 2014 SAFEA-RSC Visiting Researchers Programme, visiting China on the 17-25 September. He spent time at Yangzhou University in Jiangsu province and at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. Although Richard had been to China a few times previously for conferences, this trip was a chance to visit new places and allowed time for more informal research discussions with various research groups and interaction with some students. In Yangzhou he gave a set of lectures, ranging from research seminars to graduate classes and a paper-writing workshop in addition to visiting the beautiful Slender West Lake and the Bonsai museum. In Beijing he gave a seminar to physicists on some new materials prepared by chemical methods and enjoyed the traditional Beijing hot-pot.


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Posted by Kathleen Too on Oct 14, 2014 2:27 PM BST
In September 2014, Dr Zoe Schnepp (University of Birmingham) visited  Southeast University in China, courtesy of the RSC-SAFEA visiting researcher programme. Below is her trip diary where she recounts her experience in Shanghai and Nanjing. Highlights of her trip includes a potential memorandum of understanding between SouthEast University and the University of Birmingham, historical Nanjing, and excellent chinese food.


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Posted by Kathleen Too on Oct 3, 2014 4:17 PM BST
I spent couple weeks in China, funded through the joint Royal Society of Chemistry / (Chinese) State Administration for Foreign Experts Affairs [RSC-SAFEA] programme. My trip (covering North, South and East China) consisted of visits to Beijing (International Symposium on Environment and Health (ISEH) at Peking University), Xiamen (where I visited Xiamen University) and Hangzhou (Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, ZAAS). During the visit, I gave research seminars at the two visiting institutions (Xiamen University and ZAAS) and presented one poster in the conference (ISEH). Also I had research talks with existing and potential collaborators. We discussed about some joint PhD student programmes, proposals for joint research projects (e.g. joint research funding from Royal Society and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC) etc.) and joint papers published. Actually, in August 2014, I was told that my Overseas Scholars Joint Grant with Xiamen University was successfully awarded by NNSFC.  I also took the opportunity for some holidays with my family and friends in China.
 


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Posted by Kathleen Too on Oct 3, 2014 3:28 PM BST
The State Administration for Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) is a division of the Chinese Government with which RSC has a cooperation agreement. Under this agreement the RSC and SAFEA will jointly fund researchers from the UK to visit Chinese Universities. The purpose of the visits is to stimulate collaboration between UK and Chinese institutions. They will allow the visitor to contribute their experience towards the development of excellent emerging science and build links with the Chinese Chemistry community.
 
In addition, the visitor will advise Chinese research groups on all aspects of presenting their research to an international audience. The programme will strengthen links between the UK and Chinese Science and between the RSC and our partners in China.
 
We would be very grateful if you could please send us the following information as part of your application:
•             Detailed CV containing your career progress
•             A letter detailing your objectives and what you hope to achieve in China
•             Current research interests, especially areas where you wish to collaborate
•             List of current collaborators in China (If any)
•             List of your current and past publications
•             Preferred dates to travel to China

Call for applications are open until the 31st October 2014 for RSC members based in the UK and Ireland. Visit usually lasts up to a week. The Royal Society of Chemistry covers up to £1500 for international flights and visa and local costs are usually covered by the local Chinese host universities. Prior collaboration in China is not necessary because SAFEA and the RSC will work together to find appropriate Chinese University hosts. Please email: international@rsc.org to register your interest in participating in the programme.
 
Posted by Kathleen Too on Aug 22, 2014 1:56 PM BST
Celebrating UK-Chinese chemistry collaboration
10th June 2014, Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London.


The Royal Society of Chemistry celebrated the renewal of a cooperation agreement with the State Administration for Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) – a division of the Chinese Government – with an event at Burlington House in London.
 
As part of a wider Chinese governmental initiative to enhance the global impact of Chinese science and of their higher education institutions, the Royal Society of Chemistry and SAFEA provide funding for a visiting researchers programme.
 
This encourages academics from the UK to visit Chinese universities to share best practice, advise Chinese researchers on presenting their research to an international audience and to stimulate collaboration between UK and Chinese institutions.
 
Royal Society of Chemistry president, Professor Lesley Yellowlees, spoke at the event, saying: "If we look back through these five years at how our relationship has developed, there are many outstanding achievements that we can all be proud of.
 
"As part of the RSC-SAFEA Visiting Researchers Programme, we have arranged 24 visits since 2010. The UK academics on this programme have been wonderful ambassadors for us, showcasing their research and expertise to over 20 Chinese universities and institutions.
 
"Together our two organisations have been able to bring together many scientists and that has resulted in fruitful collaborations between our countries. Let us look forward to many more in the future.
 
"As we agree to five further years of collaboration and mutual co-operation, I am very much looking forward to seeing the fantastic outcomes of further joint ventures between our two organisations."


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Posted by Kathleen Too on Jun 12, 2014 2:00 PM BST
Summary
I spent 1 week in China, funded through the joint Royal Society of Chemistry - State Administration for Foreign Experts Affairs (RSC-SAFEA) travel grant programme. My trip included visits to Beijing (University and Institute of Chemistry of Chinese Academy of Sciences) and then to Shanghai (Shanghai University).  I gave research seminars at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) and Shanghai University (Shanghai) and also delivered a 3 hours training session on “How to write a paper” for postgraduate students of Shanghai University. I also had excellent discussions of potential research collaboration with several academics at both institutions.
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Posted by Kathleen Too on Jun 12, 2014 11:11 AM BST
David Adams’ travel diary (March 2014)

Dr David Adams, Senior Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire took part in the SAFEA-RSC Visiting Researchers Programme. He recounts his trip and experience in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Taipei and Hong Kong.

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Posted by Kathleen Too on May 13, 2014 11:01 AM BST
Travel diary of Dr Richard Layfield- Reader in Inorganic Chemistry, University of Manchester 

Richard took part in the 2013 SAFEA-RSC Visiting Researchers Programme where he met several researchers from Peking University, Qinghua University and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. Apart from exchanging excellent scientific discussions, you can read about his experience of chinese liquor (bai jiu) and chinese food. more...
Posted by Kathleen Too on May 13, 2014 10:16 AM BST
Summary
I spent 3 weeks in China, funded through the joint Royal Society of Chemistry / (Chinese) State Administration for Foreign Experts Affairs [RSC-SAFEA] programme.  My trip (covering North, South, East and West China) consisted of visits to Guangzhou (where I visited Jinan and Sun Yat-Sen universities), Beijing (Beijing University of Chemical Technology and Tsinghua University), Taiyuan (Shanxi University), Xi’an (Northwestern Polytechnic University) and Nanjing (Nanjing University and Southeast University).  I gave invited lectures at two conferences in Beijing and at the universities I visited I gave research seminars and had research talks with existing and potential collaborators.  I also discussed undergraduate exchange programmes and answered questions about studying and carrying out research in Birmingham and the UK in general.  In addition, during my visit to Beijing, I gave an Understanding Science public lecture and a lecture to high school students (Dulwich College, Beijing).
 
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Posted by Kathleen Too on Mar 25, 2014 10:09 AM GMT