The Nansen-Zhu International Research Center (NZC) and it`s partners celebrate 15 years of collaboration with rock solid science. Last week the Norwegian Minister for Research and Higher Education, Iselin Nybø, visited NZC during a 15-year collaboration ceremony. The seminar was highlighting the main research activities for collaboration between the Norwegian and Chinese partners during the past 15 years. Future scientific challenges were also addressed.

The Minister and Bergen partners: Yongqi Gao (NERSC/NZC), Sebastian H. Mernild (NERSC), Tore Furevik (Bjerknes Centre), Iselin Nybø (The Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education), Nils Gunnar Kvamstø (UoB), Trond Dokken (Uni Research) and Stein Sandven (NERSC)

NZC has six partners today. IAP/CAS, the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NERSC), Bergen, Norway, the University of Bergen (UoB), Bergen, Norway, the Uni Research AS (Uni), Bergen, Norway, the Peking University (PKU), Beijing, China and the Nanjing University (NJU), Nanjing, China. - The colaboration between NZC and its partners has resulted in a very good track record. During these years, more than 500 peer-review scientific papers have been produced, 30 PhD students have graduated and 10 of them have become professors, says Yongqi Gao.

He had a key role in the startup of NZC in 2003 and in collaboration between Chinese and Norwegian partners since then. In his speech he emphasized the importance of scientific cooperation, but also highlighted another important factor with the partnership. – During these 15 years there has been a large degree of exchanging of researchers and graduate students between the founding partners. The statistics shows that 106 has been exchanged from China to Norway, and 166 Norwegian researchers and graduate students has been exchanged to China.

The Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education, Iselin Nybø, expressed that she was impressed by this collaboration between the NZC-partners in her speech to 100 participants at the 15 years celebrating seminar.

- The Nansen-Zhu Centre is clearly one of the best examples of Chinese-Norwegian research collaboration. It has contributed significantly to advance climate research as well as the training, education and exchange of young students in China and Norway. Close connections and lasting friendship have been established between the many Chinese and Norwegian partner institutions and individual research scientists and students, stated the Minister, Iselin Nybø.

Visited NZC: The Minister of Research and Higher Education, Iselin Nybø

The Minister also emphasized the center`s strong legacy. - It is named after two giants. Nansen's main contribution was in the marine environment and polar oceanography. Zhu's main interest was meteorology and atmospheric sciences. Furthermore, the centre is a clear proof of the value of close interdisciplinary integration and international collaboration.  

In the end of her speech the Minister told that the Nansen-Zhu Centre represents a valuable contribution to climate and polar research. She stressed that this is a contribution which cannot be performed without close interdisciplinary integration and international collaboration. Iselin Nybø also congratulated NZC and its´ partners with the first 15 years and wished all the best for the next 15 years and more to come.

The speech to The Minister of Research and Higher Education can be read here.

Director of the Nansen Center (NERSC), Sebastian H. Mernild, who also was a moderator during the seminar, is very satisfied with the recognition from the minister. He is also very grateful for all the effort that has been put down to achieve the good collaboration. - This would never have been possible without the engagement from the Nansen Center employees during the 15-year period, including the huge effort from our Research Director’s Yongqi Gao and Stein Sandven, and from our Bergen partners, says Mernild.

Also in Beijing: Director, Fridtjof Fossum Unander, from the Norwegian Research Council

Also the director, Fridtjof Fossum Unander, from the Norwegian Research Council was giving his congratulations to the Nansen-Zhu Centre and the partners. - China is educating twice as much bachelor students as United States and we find the collaboration with China very interesting. A key factor: Establish stronger friendship and relations between the scientific institutions to further build a solid collaboration for the future. The Nansen-Zhu Centre is definitely contributing to this, he stated.

Later the same evening The Minister of Research and Higher Education, Iselin Nybø, addressed the whole Norwegian delegation during a reception at the Royal Norwegian Embassy. She spent a greater part of her speech referring to the benefits of the Nansen-Zhu Centre. She told the attendance that Centre stands out as a role model for Chinese-Norwegian research collaboration.

Reception at the Royal Norwegian Embassy: The Minister spoke about the Nansen-Zhu Centre

NZC seminar:

Moderator: Prof. Sebastian Mernild (NERSC), Prof. Huijun WANG (IAP/NUIST)

Spekers: Tore Furevik (UiB): Capacity building in climate variability and teleconnections

Ke FAN (Nansen-Zhu/IAP): Climate Prediction

Odd Helge Otterå (Uni): Climate models as tools to understand climate change

Nansen-Zhu 15-year collaboration ceremony

Organizers: Nansen-Zhu Centre

Moderators: Prof. Jiang ZHU (IAP), Prof. Nils Gunnar Kvamstø (UiB)

Speakers:

Mr. Yaping ZHANG, vice-president of CAS

Ms. Iselin Nybø, Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education

Mr. Huijun Wang (Nansen-Zhu/IAP/NUIST)

Founding Director of Nansen-Zhu, Mr. Jianqi Sun (Nansen-Zhu/IAP) and Mr. Yongqi Gao (NERSC/Nansen-Zhu/UiB): Nansen Zhu Centre: “Past, Present and Future"

Seminar: " Career development" Organizers: Nansen Zhu

Speakers: Linling Chen (NERSC)