Between 18 and 22 December, a delegation from Voronezh State University headed by Dmitry Kostin, VSU Vice-Rector for Research, Innovations, and Digitising, was invited by the Sichuan Institute of Nuclear Geology (SING) to visit Chengdu (PRC), the capital of Sichuan Province. The delegation included Dmitry Zhukalin, Head of the Department of Innovations, Dmitry Vladimirov, Associate Professor from the Faculty of Geography, Geoecology and Tourism, and Nadezhda Gorbunova, Associate Professor from the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.
During the visit, negotiations and meetings were held with leading scientists from several scientific organisations in Chengdu, and a memorandum of understanding and a cooperation agreement were signed. On 19 December, the delegation participated in a Russian-Chinese scientific and technological seminar where the research results were presented in the field of conservation and restoration of biological diversity and the measurement of carbon accumulation in artificial and natural ecosystems.
Russian researchers participated in a round table discussion “Scientific and technological innovations to reach carbon neutrality.” The working day concluded with the signing of a trilateral memorandum of understanding between Voronezh State University, the Sichuan Institute of Nuclear Geology, and the Sichuan Academy of Natural Resource Sciences (SANRS).
On 20 December, the delegation visited the experimental carbon polygon of SING in Ruo'ergai where VSU representatives learnt about the equipment and methods that Chinese scientists use to measure the natural emissions of climatically active substances, mainly carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. At a meeting at the Sichuan Institute of Energy and Geological Survey, Russia specialists saw the university’s laboratory facilities and discussed the prospects for future joint research with the university employees.
On 21 December, the delegation from Voronezh visited the Chinese-New Zealand joint laboratory for the study of cultivated varieties of actinidia (kiwi). The Sichuan Academy of Natural Resource Sciences hosted a conference on international cooperation and the exchange of best practices.
In his opening speech, Dmitry Kostin said that 2023 marked 10 years since the beginning of the partnership between VSU and SANRS. Over these years, more than thirty scientific publications have been published and three grant projects have been implemented dedicated to the study of the spread of alien plants and the restoration of damaged ecosystems. He noted that even the restrictions caused by the pandemic did not hinder the development of cooperation.
Director of SANRS Zou Zholi aid that Voronezh State University was the most important international partner of the academy and 10 years of successful cooperation have become a stable basis for new advanced achievements. Wang Xiaogang, Deputy Head of the Sichuan Institute of Nuclear Geology, shared his plans on involving VSU in scientific projects that his institute is working on as part of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.
The event was concluded with the official signing of a cooperation agreement between VSU and SANRS.
