Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Uzbekistan (UZ), China (CN) and Tajikistan (TJ) are in the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB), the fastest growing area in the world by far what increases the needs for further cooperation among HEIs. UNiversity Internationalisation in Central Asia and China – UNICAC- aims to enhance the potential for international cooperation (IC) among HEIs from UZ, TJ and CN through a set of capacity building activities for International Relations Offices in partner countries (PC) HEIs, thus contributing to better international networking and better exploitation of their potential cooperation in Teaching, Learning and Research (T/L/R). Specifically, the project aims at: a) benchmarking the potentials for cooperation and development of national and regional recommendations for IC in T/L/R in the 3 PC; b) enhancing strategic, human and infrastructural capacities for the management of IC in 7 PC HEIs, and the modernisation and development of institutional frameworks for IC in UZ, TJ and CN (Strategic Plans for International Cooperation; training modules and equipment updating); and c) developing a multi-regional network as a platform to boost a regular dialogue and identification and exploitation of synergies in shaping IC in HEIs in Central Asia and China (together with the organisation of 3 network conferences, one in each PC).The proposal also foresees the development and implementation of dissemination tools and strategies (at international and national levels, especially in PC), an evaluation and quality assurance strategy (collection of feedback, monitoring and external evaluation) and sustainability actions (National Roundtables in PC, signing of agreements among HEIs and official approval of structures created in PC). The Consortium is composed of 11 institutions from 3 EU countries (Spain, Italy and Finland) and 3 PC countries (UZ, TJ and CN), including 10 HEIs of which 7 are Central Asian or Chinese. UNICAC will be coordinated by the University of Seville.

EUCLEG aims to reduce Europe and China’s dependency on protein imports by developing efficient breeding strategies for the legume crops of major economic importance in human food and animal feed. The objective is to improve diversification, crop productivity, yield stability and protein quality of both forage (alfalfa and red clover) and grain (pea, faba bean and soybean) legumes. Using diverse and extensive genetic resources and taking advantage of advanced molecular tools, EUCLEG aims to identify and develop the best genetic resources, phenotyping methods and molecular tools to breed legume varieties with improved performance under biotic and abiotic stresses in the representative European and Chinese agro-ecological areas. The potential for new uses of forage species for human nutrition will be explored. Searchable databases will be developed or built to host passport, agronomic and genetic data facilitating exchanges and use of genetic resources. The evaluation of genetic resources in multi-site trials will allow to broaden the breeding material and extend agro-ecological adaptation. The genetic architecture of key breeding traits will be analysed using association studies in order to identify molecular markers related to phenotypic traits. Finally, genomic selection strategies will be assessed for their potential to improve genetic progress. Practical tools for genotyping, data management and calculation will be provided to breeders to implement marker-assisted selection and genomic selection leading to the creation of new varieties in the long-term. The partnership gathered in EUCLEG, combining public institutes and private companies of Europe and China, guaranties the transfer of knowledge from research to seed industry.

Wild pollinators are a key part of European biodiversity and provide a wide range of benefits to crops, wild plants, and human wellbeing. In Europe and globally, wild pollinators are facing multiple threats, however, the full extent of declines, their complex causes, and the most effective ways to respond to them are not well understood. Safeguard brings together world-leading researchers, NGOs, industry and policy experts to substantially contribute to Europe’s capacity to reverse the losses of wild pollinators. Safeguard will significantly expand current assessments of the status and trends of European wild pollinators including bees, butterflies, flies and other pollinating insects. We will use state-of-the-art models to predict the impacts of pressures on pollinators, paying particular attention to emerging threats, multiple and interacting drivers, long-term and cumulative effects, and multiple spatial scales. Safeguard will establish empirical research for a systematic multi-scale assessment of multiple pressures on pollinators and the context-dependent effectiveness of interventions. Working with our stakeholders, we will provide an improved understanding of the diverse values of European pollinators, and develop and test new approaches using multiple interventions to benefit pollinators, from field to landscape scales across agricultural, natural, and urban systems. We will co-develop with stakeholders an integrated assessment framework and tools that incorporate multiple types of evidence to address pollinator declines and direct mitigation strategies at the local, national, and EU levels. Safeguard will use the significant advance in knowledge to inform national, European, and global policies and decision-making. Finally, Safeguard will increase awareness of wild pollinators and their societal values with the public, policy makers, scientists, industry, and NGOs, to mobilise concerted multiple actions towards reversing pollinator declines across Europe.

The COMAGNET project is positionned in the following topic developed over several years by each partner laboratory (LACMDTI University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France) and Laboratoire EPM at Northeastern University - China): the magnétoscience. The interaction of a magnetic field with a materials elaboration process can change the characteristics of the compounds obtained. The main interest of this project is to develop magnetic films of cobalt based metal alloys or oxides, with applications in the magnetic field. Candidates for our studies are nanostructured alloys such as CoX (X = Cu, Ni, Fe, Cr, Pt ..) and oxides such as CoFe2O4 for different applications: permanent magnets, magnetic recording, magnetoresistive effect GMR giant magneto-optical. The major objective is to show that the magnetic properties (coercive force, saturation magnetization, magnetic anisotropy) are modified by the imposition of a high magnetic field (HMF) during the production process. Originality and innovative aspect of COMAGNET is to couple two processes carried out under high magnetic field: -firstly develop alloys and oxides of nanostructured cobalt electrodeposition under pulsed magnetic field -on the other hand, perform thermal treatments or oxidation of electrodeposited materials in the presence of magnetic field under controlled atmosphere. The coupling of both processes is to increase the functionality of the material. Studies of the electrodeposition (low-cost method) in a magnetic field of thin films of oxides or alloys have shown the influence of magnetic field on the morphology, crystallographic phase composition or the physical properties of the material. The magnetic field generally promotes deposits denser and more homogeneous with grain sizes reduced. The magnetic field then becomes an alternative brighteners and leveling agents during the process. In the case of deposits of cobalt or cobalt alloys such as FeCo, the magnetic field influences the structure and magnetic properties of the material. Generally, deposits made by electrodeposition require thermal treatments under controlled atmosphere to improve the functionality of the material. The EPM Laboratory has significant experience in the field of metallurgical phenomena in high magnetic fields such as solidification, diffusion, and reactions to the film-substrate interface. In this project, both thick deposits or nanometric thickness depending on the desired application could be developped. The part of the project "electrodeposition under high magnetic field " will be coordinated by the LACMDTI and will be completed by the recruitment of two post-doctoral positions while the EPM hire a postdoc to conduct the study “treatment under HMF. The characterizations of the materials obtained will be shared by both partners, since their equipment are highly complementary (Analysis by XRD, ICP, XPS, AES, SEM, TEM, MFM, VSM ...). The formation mechanisms of various materials during processes used will be captured by fundamental studies in the third year based on the experience of the both laboratories.