SPRING aimed to address the environmental implications of China’s remarkable economic development and Europe’s environmental challenges through collaboration and knowledge sharing between European and Chinese researchers in order to develop strategies, a roadmap, and a vision for ensuring the long-term viability of the Chinese and European economies. This was done by highlighting areas where environmental impacts resulting from economic growth could be minimized and/or reversed by shifting current production and consumption trends.

SPRING accomplished its objective through the following activities:

• Identifying cutting edge researchers, research groups, and infrastructures in China. This facilitated the linking of EU and Chinese researchers who are working in similar scientific areas and promoted a dialogue between them that would lead to long term partnerships.
• Identifying potential and priority areas of research collaboration between EU countries and China as well as providing a forum for the discussion of current and emerging environmental issues.
• Developing roadmaps for collaborations between EU and Chinese researchers.

SPRING was funded under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission and was implemented in the period March 2010 – August 2013.

The project was implemented through a consortium of partners from the EU and China, including:
University of Surrey (coordinator) United Kingdom
University of Exeter United Kingdom
ARC Fund Bulgaria
Center for International Climate and Environment Research – Oslo Norway
Tsinghua University China
Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences China
China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research China
Tianjin University China
Bristol University United Kingdom
Peking University China