On March 20, Embrapa Soybean and the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly promoted a Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) Workshop on Sustainable Soybean Production Systems at Embrapa Soybean, in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. The Memorandum of Understanding between Embrapa and the Chinese agency, which was signed in 2020, will now enter the stage of discussing projects of mutual interest for technical cooperation in research, development and innovation. At first the activities will focus on action in the field of biotechnology for soybean cultivation in the tropics. Alexandre Nepomuceno, head of Embrapa Soybean, states that the projects can nevertheless be expanded to other areas of knowledge as the partnership progresses and develops. “This partnership will allow the exchange of knowledge and even the exchange of visiting scholars in order to develop joint projects on soybean crops,” he says. “In this first meeting, the Chinese scientists came to see what we have been researching and also presented their research activities so that we can find common interests and potential complementarity, and thus develop joint research,” Nepomuceno asserts. China is currently building a laboratory in the south of the country focusing on soybean genetics, which showcases their mastery in this field. "They are developing cutting-edge technologies, such as gene editing and soybean genome sequencing techniques. The partnership will be very important for the advance of Brazilian research and subsequent implementation of research activities in our country,” Nepomuceno explains. The Chinese delegation that was at Embrapa Soybean comprised seven researchers from four Chinese scientific institutions and universities specializing in soybean genetics (Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences). The Chinese scientists were welcomed at Embrapa Soybean by Alexandre Nepomuceno, General Head of the research center; Adeney Bueno, Head of Research and Development; Carina Gomes Rufino, Head of Technology Transfer and researchers from several research areas. Joint research China is very interested in partnering with Brazil in the field of soybeans, since our country is the main supplier of the grain, a raw material for the production of animal feed. About 80% of Brazilian soybean exports are for China, that is, roughly 60 million tons out of the 150 million tons of soybeans produced in the 2022/23 crop year. According to Wecai Yang, Director of the CAS Institute of Genetics and Technological Development, the partnership joins efforts to produce more quality food, ensuring food security on the planet. “In addition, both Brazil and China have a strong scientific community that can share a lot of experiences, develop technologies, and promote scientific progress faster and more efficiently, if they work together,” Yang states. Technical partnerships - During the event, the Director of Science and Technology of the Londrina Development Institute (Codel), Roberto Moreira, had the opportunity to present Londrina's innovation ecosystem. “We showed how our environment is conducive to establishing partnerships, and we reported on the city’s potential for research, not only of the kind Embrapa conducts, but also in other areas. We appreciate this type of connection, especially with China,” Moreira says. The city offers three technology parks, two incubators, 10 governance sectors (e.g. Agrovalley), more than 250 startups and nearly 1,600 IT companies. The technical program included a presentation of Embrapa Soyean’s gene bank, a collection of over 65,000 soybean accessions (specimens) that preserve soybean genetic diversity. Through this collection, it is possible to identify different sources of interest for the development of soybean cultivars, e.g. cultivars with better health, higher oil content and/or higher resistance to droughts. The presentation was given by researchers Carlos Arrabal Arias and Marcelo Fernandes. There was also a lecture related to research, development and innovation in soybean biotechnology and genetics, which was taught by researchers Lillian Henning and Francismar Guimarães. Other items in the workshop agenda related to actions to boost the decarbonization of the soybean production process, as well as the issue of bioinputs. Those two topics were discussed by researcher Marco Antônio Nogueira. Marco Antonio Nogueira showed the main results of biological nitrogen fixation, a technology that allows Brazil to save about R$38 billion per crop year by dispensing with the use of nitrogen fertilizers. The workshop also promoted a discussion on joint development between Brazilian and Chinese institutions to create a sustainable food innovation center. After visiting Embrapa, the Chinese researchers will visit the cooperative union Coamo, in Campo Mourão, Paraná (Mar 21), then Embrapa Agrosilvopastoral in Sinop, Mato Grosso (Mar 23) and a farm in Lucas do Rio Verde, Mato Grosso (Mar 24).