On June 24, 2024, the summary seminar of the Fifth Phase of the "Dragon Programme" for scientific and technological cooperation between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the European Space Agency and the kick-off meeting of the Sixth Phase (2024 - 2028) were opened in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

   The "Dragon Programme" is a large-scale scientific and technological cooperation research programme in the field of Earth observation launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the European Space Agency in 2004. Starting from 2024, the China Science and Technology Exchange Center has officially undertaken the implementation and management work of the Chinese side of this programme and is jointly responsible for the specific implementation of the programme with the Earth Observation Department of the European Space Agency.

   This is the exterior view of the venue of the summary seminar of the Fifth Phase of the "Dragon Programme" and the kick-off meeting of the Sixth Phase (2024 - 2028) which was taken in Lisbon, Portugal on June 24.

   On the day of the opening of the conference, the Chinese and European sides officially signed the cooperation agreement for the Sixth Phase of the "Dragon Programme". The content covers 10 key fields such as land, atmosphere, climate change and big data. The two sides will continuously promote the sharing and application development of Earth observation data through cooperation in research, academic exchanges and personnel training.

In his speech at the conference, Zhao Bentang, Chinese Ambassador to Portugal, said that the "Dragon Programme" is a model of China-Europe scientific and technological cooperation and is also a vivid manifestation of the international scientific and technological cooperation concept of "science has no national boundaries and benefits all mankind". Adhering to the concepts of openness, cooperation and win-win results, the two sides have contributed to promoting global scientific and technological innovation and personnel training.

Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, said in a video speech that the "Dragon Programme" is one of the projects with the longest history and the most remarkable cooperation achievements between Europe and China. It has not only promoted in-depth exchanges between European and Chinese scientists but also promoted the transformation and application of technical achievements.

The five-day conference will conduct exchanges of achievements of the Fifth Phase, introduction of projects of the Sixth Phase, etc., focusing on the frontier development of Earth observation technologies and the application of satellite remote sensing technologies in environmental protection, disaster prevention and mitigation. Nearly 300 experts and scholars from China and Europe are participating in the conference.