Chinese Academy of Sciences

Queensland is the only state worldwide, to have a jointly funded program with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)—one of the world’s most eminent scientific organisations, home to 2 universities and more than 110 specialist institutes.

Established in 2009, the agreement and associated fund, the Queensland-Chinese Academy of Sciences Collaborative Science Fund, assists Queensland and Chinese researchers to jointly undertake practical and applied science and research projects in:

• agricultural biotechnology and food research including food safety
• human health and medical research
• environmental science.

Since 2010, 20 collaborative research projects and five fellows have been supported under this relationship. Projects include:

• novel treatments for oral cancers
• new ways of making durable low-cost solar cells
• COVID-19 vaccines and inhibitors.

A key achievement has been the establishment of the Joint Laboratory of Neuroscience and Cognition – an initiative of the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) and Beijing’s Institute of Biophysics (IBP).

Diseases of neuro-degeneration are a growing global burden with the highest rate of growth in Asia. It is predicted that by 2030, approximately 65 million people worldwide will be living with dementia. Collaborative efforts at the Laboratory are targeting improved diagnosis and treatments for dementia in the ageing population.