Chen Xiaochun

654789759@qq.com

AROUND 40 people from Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain, Chile and Mexico, gathered in Huaqiangbei on Friday for a warm-up event as they plan to set up a network for Spanish-speaking researchers in South China.

Most of the attendees are researchers or students. The meeting was organized by the Network of Researchers China-Spain, known as RICE for its acronym in Spanish, which was created in February 2016 with the aim of bringing together Spanish researchers and scientists in China.

“I have been in China for six years and sometimes it’s difficult to know how to do the things in different academic phases. So the main idea is to know that there are many people from whom we can ask for help if we have some doubts,” said José Pastor Pareja, an associate professor of School of Life Sciences of Tsinghua University and president of RICE.

“What we wanted to propose through this meeting was to collaborate with each other, to share the opportunities that we encounter every day, whether it’s about contracts, scholarships or projects,” said Alberto García-Penas, a postdoctoral researcher in material science at a local university and a member of the organizing committee of RICE.

The organizer plans to have an official meeting at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) on June 14, where they will share experiences and give a presentation on the common challenges met by Spanish-speaking researchers.

The meeting will serve as a bridge between official bodies, Chinese universities and the business environment, as well as strengthen the network of Spanish-speaking researchers.