(This text is originally from the website of National Center for Women and Children’s Health,China CDC) 

In order to encourage the maternal and child health institutions at all levels in China to implement innovative applied researches, and to further promote the comprehensive levels of scientific research in the maternal and child health system, the National Center for Women and Children’s Health, China CDC (hereinafter referred to as “WCH”), together with Guangzhou Biostime Institute of Nutrition and Care, begins to launch a second cooperation on the basis of the “Biostime Research Projects for Maternal and Child’s Nutrition and Health”(hereinafter referred to as “research projects”) implemented in 2012-2014.

On April 20^th, 2015, the proposal ceremony of the research project in 2015 was launched in Beijing. Over 30 representatives of project leaders, who are from 22 project institutions nationwide and 10 experts in the field of children care, maternal care, gynecology andobstetrics, epidemiology, nutriology and maternal and child’s health management, participated in the ceremony. In addition, there are another 10 participants, including the staff in related WCH departments and postgraduate students.

In the ceremony, Yang Qi, double as the director assistant of the WCH and the director of the science and education department, introduced the purpose and significance of the projects as well as the overall situation of projects application and establishment in 2015. Afterwards, the directors/representatives of the 22 project institutions reported the undertaken projects one after the other, and experts answered related questions and provided suggestions and guidance for each project regarding research design, professional contents, technical route, statistical analysis, etc.

After a whole days’ tense schedule, Director Yang Qi made a sum-up speech at the end, suggesting that: the project work should be distinguished from the research topics; the relations between large projects and research topics should be clarified; and highlighting the research purpose, contents, technical route and outputs; samples selected should be representative; ensure the selection of controls correct, and the intended results conforming to the research objective. The staff from all project institutions acquired a lot from his speech, through which they not only clarified their thoughts for improving the undertaken projects, but also learned a lot from the other institutions’ research contents and methods. They will further modify the project design and implementation plan according to the expert’s suggestions, and do their best in the project. Other participants also mentioned that through this meeting, they began to understand various kinds of research topics and methods in the field of Maternal and child’s health, which broadened their horizon and is beneficial to improving their own ability of scientific research.