MCST and the Ministry Of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MOST) have recently launched the SINO-MALTA Fund 2021 Joint Call for R&I Project Proposals. We would appreciate your assistance to circulate the below information through your networks:

The SINO MALTA FUND 2021 Joint Call for Project Proposals is now OPEN. The SINO MALTA Fund supports research, development and innovation projects between Malta-based and China-based entities in the following 3 areas:

• Digital Technologies
• Health Innovations
• Green Transitions

Total allocated budget for Malta-based entities is €600,000 (3 projects will be awarded, of up to €200,000 each).

Application follows a two-stage submission process, with the Stage 1 Pre-Proposal Deadline being Monday, 24th May 2021. At this stage, Maltese applicants are given the opportunity and any necessary assistance to find Chinese partners to collaborate and work on a common project idea. Eligible applications will be invited to proceed to Stage 2, when a full proposal will be requested, including the state of the art, methodology, implementation as well as other details.

The National Rules for Participation (State Aid and Non-State Aid) as well as the Application Form and any relevant Annexes may be accessed from here.

Interested applicants are invited to make use of Plumtri’s Matchmaking SINO-MALTA 2021 page. Kindly note that the page is accessible to Plumtri registered users only – registration is free.

Moreover, a Joint Virtual Information Event is being organised on Thursday 15th April 2021, 09:00 CET to give an overview of this year’s bilateral call. Information will be presented for both Malta-based and China-based entities. To register for the event, visit: https://forms.gle/hKjRkCcDmAd2jkjGA

The link to the online meeting will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.

For more information, visit http://mcst.gov.mt/science-technology-cooperation-sino-malta-fund/ Queries may be forwarded to: [email protected]

This event is being organised by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) and the Ministry Of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (MOST), in collaboration with the China Association for International Science and Technology Cooperation (CAISTC).