Dr. Lawrence Banks headed a delegation in China this week for meetings with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and to consolidate partnerships with leading Universities.

Accompanied by Prof. Li Jin, President of Fudan University and member of the ICGEB Council of Scientific Advisers, Dr. Banks was in Beijing to meet with the Vice Minister of Science and Technology of MOST, Prof. Jiachang Chen.

"Current science policy to expand scientific cooperation for international development is high on the agenda," commented Dr. Banks, "We have just signed the renewed InChina Fellowship Agreement, which will see numerous universities involved in providing fellowships also for the ICGEB Regional Research Centre in Taizhou." The signing ceremony included a top-level delegation from MOST and members of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development CNCBD, the ICGEB Affiliated Centre in Beijing.

The visit, hosted by the CNCBD, included visits to Fudan and Peking Universities. "It was wonderful to be with Prof. Jian Lu at Peking University," commented Dr. Banks, "and to attend the brilliant presentations by his students Junhao Chen, Xiaolu Tang, and Kaichun Jin."