Shanghai, China / Madrid, Spain – June 13, 2025 – Under the joint witness of senior leaders from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Professor ZHANG Yu, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS) of CAS, and Professor Isabel Allona, Director of the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP, UPM-INIA/CSIC), formally renewed the "Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation among the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS) of CAS, the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of CAS, and the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP)" at the CSIC Headquarters in Madrid, Spain. This signing marks a new phase of substantive trilateral cooperation in the fields of plant science and biotechnology.

The signing ceremony was the core segment of the "CAS-CSIC-UPM Trilateral MoU Signing Ceremony" held the same day at the Presidential Conference Room of the CSIC Headquarters, chaired by Professor Francisco Javier Moreno, Vice President for International Affairs of CSIC. President HOU Jianguo, Academician of CAS, led the CAS delegation and delivered the opening remarks. Professor Luis Gómez Fernández, Vice Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies at UPM, also addressed the ceremony. Senior leaders from all three institutions emphasized the importance of deepening international cooperation in scientific and technological innovation, particularly in conducting joint research in frontier areas of mutual interest such as agriculture, environment, and plant science. Diplomatic officials, including LEI Hongmei, Science and Technology Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Spain, attended the event.

As scheduled, Professor ZHANG Yu, representing CEMPS, and Professor Isabel Allona, Director of CBGP (a core research institute under CSIC), jointly signed the MoU document. This MoU aims to establish a framework for long-term, stable cooperation, focusing on the frontiers of plant science and biotechnology, and to promote in-depth collaboration in areas including joint research projects, personnel exchanges (researchers and students), shared technology platforms, and the organization of high-level academic activities.

Following the signing ceremony, Prof. Alberto Macho, a Spanish Group Leader at CEMPS, provided attendees with a detailed introduction to the jointly established Centre of Excellence for Plant-Environment Interactions (CEPEI). CEPEI was jointly initiated in October 2019 through a MoU signed by CEMPS, the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of CAS, and CBGP (a joint center of CSIC and UPM). Its mission is to pool the top strengths of the three partners in plant science, focusing on three core research directions: plant responses to biotic stress, adaptation to environmental changes, and plant nutritional enhancement, with the vision of improving crop yield and quality.

Since its launch (2019-2025), CEPEI, as a strategic platform for trilateral cooperation, has achieved solid progress, including the successful hosting of a bilateral symposium in 2021:

Efficient Implementation of Joint Research Projects: Successfully launched three major Transversal Scientific Programs (TSPs) in 2020, funding six core joint research projects: PIMROS (Plant-Insect-Microbe Interactions), RooTSTRESS (Root Stress Adaptation), Light CERES biotech (Light Signaling and Photosynthesis), 4DMorphOrgan (Organ Development), CHROPTIPLANT (Plant Photomorphogenesis), and SEEDNITAL (Seed Nutrition). These projects are representative of the different CEPEI's research directions.

Continuous Output of High-Impact Results: To date, collaborative teams have already co-published 3 SCI papers in top international journals in frontier areas such as plant immune signal regulation (e.g., ROS mechanisms), multidimensional root environmental adaptation, and light signaling mechanisms, demonstrating initial fruitful outcomes.

Matured Talent Exchange Mechanism: Established regular exchange mechanisms for PhD students and researchers. Leveraging resources including CBGP's Severo Ochoa Excellence Program, UPM and INIA-CSIC Asia Seed Funds, and CAS (CEMPS/IGDB) support, a total of 6 exchange visits have been facilitated.

Enhanced Capacity for Major Project Participation: The three parties are actively utilizing the CEPEI platform to jointly prepare applications for China-Spain collaborative projects and explore diversified funding channels, such as China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), CAS President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI), and Spain's CDTI programs, to inject momentum into the platform's sustainable development.

Attendees subsequently engaged in in-depth and productive discussions concerning CEPEI's formal operational structure, mechanisms for deepening resource sharing, and future key research directions (e.g., smart breeding, plant-microbe interactions, environmental adaptability improvement). They also envisioned goals for the platform, including organizing international scientific programs, producing world-class research outcomes, and facilitating the translation of basic research into crop improvement applications.

This collaboration marks the first time the three institutions have jointly signed a cooperation MoU. It is also a significant achievement for CEMPS in actively responding to CAS's internationalization strategy and expanding its collaborative network with top European research institutions. It successfully extends and deepens the cooperative intentions reached during the visit of the Spanish CSIC delegation to CEMPS in November 2024, laying a solid foundation for future collaborative innovation in addressing shared global challenges such as food security, sustainable agricultural development, and ecological environmental protection.