On Nov. 28, the kick-off meeting of the Sino-German Centre for Water And healTh researCH (WATCH) initiated by CWEG and co-built by RWTH-Aachen University successfully opened in Beijing. Professors Kai Reimers, Yao Gang and Dr. Elmar Dorgeloh of RWTH-Aachen University, CWEG Vice President Shao Yanqing, and Dr. Pang Hongtao, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Technology R&D Center under CWEG, were in attendance.

    The WATCH is one of the first international science and technology cooperation projects funded by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, and the only international joint laboratory with water as the theme. At the kick-off meeting, Shao Yanqing extended warm welcome and appreciation to German representatives. According to Shao, CWEG has all long placed a high value on the innovation and R&D of water treatment technology and industry-university-research cooperation with the aim of building its core competitiveness. He hoped that the parties can step up collaboration to build the WATCH into a world-class joint laboratory in the field of water environment.

   Speaking on behalf of the German party, Professor Kai Reimers expressed his congratulation and appreciation on the launch of this Sino-German joint laboratory, and said he was honored to work with CWEG to explore and innovate water environment management technology. He also hoped that in the future, the parties can continuously promote laboratory construction, industrial transformation and application leveraging CWEG’s outstanding R&D and innovation strength, in an effort to build the laboratory into a high-level transnational industry-university-research institution integrating education, research with economic production.