A piece of exciting news arrived on May 22, that DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) Germany approved the Sino-German Joint Interdisciplinary Research Program on Symmetries and the Emergence of Structure in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), following the earlier approval made by NSFC,the Natural Science Foundation of China.

Jointly led by Prof. Ulf.G.Meissner from University of Bonn and Prof. ZOU Bingsong from the Institute of High Energy Physics, this project gathers over 20 scientists on particle physics and nuclear physics from China and Germany to conduct QCD theoretical studies.

Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the theory of the strong interaction (color force), a fundamental force describing the interactions between quarks and gluons which make up hadrons (such as the proton, neutron or pion). Therefore, to study the symmetries and the emergence of structure in Quantum Chromodynamics has become one of the hottest research topics in the field.

The Agreement between NSFC and DFG on support of the Sino-German Joint Interdisciplinary Research Programs (SG-JIRP) was signed in 2005, aiming to encourage scientists from both countries to undertake ambitious long-term and international-level research, to promote interdisciplinary research and cultivate young researchers. This project is the second one approved by both NSFC and DFG in accordance of the agreement. A research fund of over 5 million Euros will be supported by DFG.