China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and Australia's Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources have respectively published their calls for proposals for Round 4 of the Australia-China Science and Research Fund Joint Research Centres (ACSRF JRCs).
ACSRF JRCs link Chinese and Australian research institutions doing research in a priority area. Funding of up to RMB 30 million from China and AUD 5 million from Australia will be available for this round of centers.
All applications must involve a research of a priority area which will be done collaboratively by two or more Chinese and Australian organizations. Partners in both countries should apply separately through the relevant system in their own country. The Chinese application system is closed by now. The Australian application system is open until 2 September, 2020.
The priority areas for round 4 of the program are:
1. Food and Agribusiness
·agritech
·supply chains
·future food and their regulation.
2. Digital Technology
·medical technologies including services and aged care
·financial technology
·big data.
3. Energy and Resources
·new energy (renewables)
·hydrogen
·energy storage and supply
·mineral exploration.
4. Advanced Materials
·biomedical metal materials such as titanium and magnesium alloys
·graphene technology
·high-performance structure and composites.
More information about applications in Australia is available at https://www.business.gov.au/Grants-and-Programs/Australia-China-Science-and-Research-Fund-Joint-Research-Centres