Signing Ceremony of Joint Lab between IPCAS and HZI

The signing ceremony of joint lab between Institute of Psychology, CAS (IPCAS) and Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) was held on Mar. 3, 2008 in IPCAS. Zhang Kan, director of IPCAS, and Rudi Balling, director of HZI, signed on the joint lab contract.

The joint lab will be directed by Dr. Wang Jing from IPCAS, and Dr. Vitor AP Martins dos Santos from Systems and Synthetic Biology Group, HZI, and dedicated in the study of pathogenic mechanism of infectious diseases and other important diseases in human. The ceremony was presided by Dr. Fu Xiaolan, vice-director of IPCAS and participated by Professor Sun Zhongsheng (IPCAS), Professor Yang Huanming (Academician), Dr. He Hong (HZI Beijing Office).

The Helmholtz Association with 15 research centers is Germany’s largest scientific organization and has an annual budget of approximately 2.4 billion euros. Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research is located in Braunschweig, Germany. The focus of their work is the study and investigation of pathogens which are medically relevant or can be used as models for researching infection mechanisms. The center is supported by the federal government of Germany and the state of Lower Saxony. The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research employs about 600 staff from more than 40 countries and has an annual operating budget of €47 million.

The establishment of IPCAS-HZI joint lab will strengthen collaborations between two institutions in the field of diseases heredity, as well as a good start and foundation of developing collaborations between IPCAS and The Helmholtz Association. The joint lab will be a stable platform for mutual projects application and international communication for both.