Online int'l technology transfer service launched to support epidemic prevention and control

President Xi Jinping has made important instructions on coordinating the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic with economic and social development. The China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) has accordingly made decisions and plans to encourage science organizations to help enterprises offset the fallout of the epidemic and promote deeper integration between science and technology and the economy. In response, the China International Communication Center for Science and Technology (CICCST) under CAST has pitched in by facilitating international technology transfer.

The center has reached peer organizations of relevant countries to work on the transfer of key technologies that Chinese enterprises need most at the moment.

So far, it has collected information about 30 technology transfer projects from the U.S., Britain, Israel, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Russia and the Republic of Korea in the fields of biomedicine, diagnosis equipment, monitoring equipment, telemedicine, protective materials, medical devices and public health. It has released the information in special sections on its official website, WeChat account, and Green Services (CAST’s online shared platform for innovation resources). The projects are expected to help enterprises overcome technological difficulties and resume operation at an early date. At the same time, the center has strengthened online contact with enterprises in need of technology transfer and provides efficient and convenient services to those making inquiries through Green Services.

Amid the epidemic, the center plans to cooperate with more online platforms to publish information about technologies and products available for transfer. The focus will be put on digital technology, anti-epidemic protective clothing, medicine and vaccine, and public health.

By connecting supply and demand both online and offline, the center expects to facilitate the flow of technology and information between the two sides, improve the efficiency of international technology transfer, accelerate the industrialization of scientific and technological breakthroughs, and promote the integration of science and technology with economy. All this will be done in accordance with international norms and conventions, with full respect for intellectual property rights and on the principle of voluntary, equal, fair and goodfaith transactions.

Next, the center will enlist the help of CAST and its national societies and local branches to collect information about the technological needs of China’s innovative enterprises. It will release the information to organizations that engage in international technology transfer. Meanwhile, it will continue to gather information about advanced technologies and new products abroad that are in need in China. It will form an advisory body of international technology transfer experts to assess the technologies and products and offer guidance to enterprises interested in legal transfer of intellectual property rights. The move is expected to support post-epidemic transformation of the industrial structure.