On September 12, 2024, with the joint support of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology, “2024 China-CEEC Conference on Industry-University-Research Cooperation and Exchange Industry-University-Research Cooperation and Exchange Matching Event” was grandly opened in Nanjing, hosted by the China-CEEC Technology Transfer Center (Jiangsu Provincial Center for International Scientific and Technological Exchange). Huang Qiongli and Yang Ming, Project Directors of China-LAC Technology Transfer Center (CLTTC), were invited to attend the event.

Zhao Yan, Vice Governor of the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, and Zhuang Jia, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology, delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. During the meeting, Vice Governor Zhao Yan stated that Jiangsu is committed to following the instructions of President Xi Jinping, adhering to the path of open innovation, actively integrating into the global innovation network, and accelerating the development of an industrial science and technology innovation center with global influence. Representatives from Central and Eastern European countries, including Sinisa Berjan, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to China, and Vladislav Spasov, Bulgarian Consul General in Shanghai, also delivered speeches at the meeting, expressing their strong desire to strengthen scientific and technological innovation cooperation with China.

During the conference, eight Jiangsu universities, research institutions, and enterprises signed cooperation agreements with seven universities and research institutions from Central and Eastern European countries. The conference also held an on-site award ceremony for 20 newly added “Partner” institutions of the China-CEEC Technology Transfer Center. The event specially arranged four special sessions for presentation and exchange, introducing over 30 innovation cooperation projects and cooperation needs, and organizing more than 100 matchmaking negotiations between Chinese and foreign institutions.

The successful holding of this matching event indicates a new step in cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries in the field of scientific and technological innovation. The active participation of CLTTC in this international scientific and technological cooperation and exchange conference not only brings new opportunities for the CLTTC to play a greater role in the global scientific and technological cooperation network but also lays a solid foundation for scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between China-LAC and Central and Eastern European countries.