U.S. National Committee for CODATA

SECOND CHINA–U.S. SYMPOSIUM ON SELECTED SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL DATA ACTIVITIES

There are important reasons for increased cooperation between our two countries, both generally and specifically in S&T data activities. Within the larger context, there is expanding trade and other forms of cooperation. In S&T research, there are many contacts, exchanges, and joint reseat.ch activities between various government and academic institutions. Increased cooperation in S&T database activities can help address significant research problems in our respective countries.

More specifically, both countries have extensive and important S&T database activities in many different discipline and applications areas. Researchers in both countries have much to gain by fostering greater access to and exchange of such information, and by engaging in more joint research activities, either in developing or improving S&T databases or in using those databases in cooperative research. The international CODATA and our respective national CODATA committees provide a useful mechanism for planning and facilitating such cooperative activities. The S&T database communities of both countries, as represented by their CODATA committees, have a mutual interest in promoting and facilitating ful1her cooperation, and therefore have initiated this process through two bilateral symposiums, the first at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC in March 2000, and the second at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing in December 2000.

This report summarizes only the types of cooperative activities that were identified during the course of the discussions, which were focused on databases in the physical sciences (chemistry, physics, and materials science); environmental and earth sciences; biology, biodiversity, and biotechnology; and general S&T digital database activities and policies in the two countries. The following types of possible cooperation initiatives were suggested for further follow up and potential implementation:

Identification of S&T data and information resources that might be translated and made more widely available in our respective countries.
Identification of high-priority databases in both countries that should have either mirror sites, or subsets of the contents established in each other’s country, and determine how to implement that.
Promotion of opportunities for both senior and junior scientists and engineers to visit each other’s countries for various periods of time to learn about each other’s S&T database activities and to engage in cooperative research in select areas.
Promotion of opportunities for university students to visit and study in each other’s universities and research centers in areas within CODATA’s scope of activities.
Exchanging of information or S&T data activities, policies and developments in intellectual property law that may have implications for data development, access and sharing.
Exploration of the possibility for joint projects in S&T database development, studies, or training.