By attending the Belt and Road Forum held by the National Natural Science Foundation of China in Beijing, Research Councils UK (RCUK) officials visited the National Astronomical Observatories of CAS (NAOC) on July 1, 2017. The delegation includes Professor Jason Green, Deputy Director of Innovation and 21st Century Challenge Department in the Council of Science and Technology Facilities (STFC), Dr. Justin O'Byrne, STFC project official, and Dr. Grace Lang, Director of RCUK China. Hao Jinxin, Deputy Director-General of NAOC, and Profs Peng Bo, Qin Bo and Liang Yanchun attended the meeting with the UK guests. The two parties had in-depth discussions on future China-UK collaborations on the international mega-science project, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), especially the details of the China-UK Joint SKA Training Initiative, including the SKA PhD/Postdoc Program, and the China-UK SKA School Series which may start from 2018.

RCUK is the strategic partnership of the UK's seven Research Councils. It enables the Councils to work together more effectively to enhance the overall impact and effectiveness of their research, training, and innovation. Each year the Research Councils invest around £3 billion in research covering the full spectrum of academic disciplines from the medical and biological sciences to astronomy, physics, chemistry and engineering, social sciences, economics, environmental sciences and the arts and humanities. STFC is one of the seven Councils. Established in 2007, RCUK China enhances research funding partnerships between the UK and China. It aims to support the best researchers in the UK and China to develop high-quality, high-impact research partnerships.

Both China and the UK are SKA member countries. The UK is the permanent headquarter of the SKA. The STFC is representing the UK at the SKA Organization, and is playing a leading role in SKA-UK. The NAOC is a key institution of SKA-China. Future collaborations on SKA and radio astronomy will benefit the astronomical communities of both countries.

Meeting between NAOC and RCUK