China-Portugal ties: Innovation center boosts tech collaboration

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Europe

02:35

Sci-tech collaboration has been a key part of China-Portugal cooperation. One of the core projects is the China-Portugal Joint Innovation Center for Advanced Materials.

Medical practitioners often use metal stents to treat patients with heart problems. But there's a disadvantage: the traditional cardiovascular stent is left in the patient's heart forever.

Ji Jian, the director of the centre, told CGTN that a joint team is working on bio-degradable stents, capable of delivering more drugs to the target site than a thin coating of drug on metallic stents.

China-Portugal Joint Innovation Center for Advanced Materials was built in 2013 in east China's Zhejiang Province. /CGTN photo

Over 20 experts from Portugal are visiting east China's Zhejiang University for research work. They are also working with 20 domestic companies to turn their research into real products.

Shen Jing, CEO of Hangzhou Singclean Medical Products Co., Ltd, told CGTN that advanced technology coming from the joint center has helped his company to improve its products' competitiveness. At the same time, it also provides a window for showcasing the products abroad.

So, from technology to market channels, his company benefits a lot from this collaboration.

Many domestic companies say they have benefited a lot from their cooperation with the joint center. /CGTN photo

The center has set up four research programs covering biomedical materials, nanotechnology, energy, and eco materials.

"Portuguese are very open and cooperative. So if you have some new ideas, you always get a positive response," said Ji, adding that he thinks this is really important for a cooperation project like this.

Ji Jian, director of Portugal-China Joint Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, said it's easy to be creative when working with Portuguese researchers. /CGTN photo

Portugal is one of the key partners for China among European Union countries. With Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Portugal, more agreements are expected to be signed in finance, infrastructure, and education.

As Portugal pursues further science and technology collaboration with China, this trilateral model, including governments, research institutions, and companies, is expected to transfer more advanced technologies and produce lifesaving medicines and equipment for people across the world.

(Top photo: Researchers from Portugal and China are working together to develop an advanced bio-degradable stent.)