Kina - Collaboration China-Norway on denitrification - a process strongly linked to water quality protection and greenhouse gas emissions.

We here apply for financial support to establish a Chinese-Norwegian research consortium in microbial ecology/environmental biotechnology. As a first step we plan to involve researchers from two Chinese universites (Shanghai Jong Tong University and Yangz hou University) and Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), since we already have several strong links between us and are at a point where we want to start active collaboration. All partners have a strong record from publications in international, sc ientific journals and international collaboration in microbiology and microbial ecology. The planned consortium will focus on denitrifying bacteria. Denitrification is a key process in the nitrogen cycle by which mineral nitrogen is step-wise converted by microorganisms to molecular nitrogen. One intermediate in the process is nitrous oxide (N2O), a gas that contributes to global warming and is also detrimental to the ozone layer. The planned research will cover both applied and fundamental research aspec ts of the denitrification process. Important environmental questions will concern optimisation of wastewater treatment with regard to nitrogen removal, as well as minimisation of N2O emissions from wastewater plants and from agricultural fields. Parellel with this, we plan in-depth studies of factors that influence the regulation of the functional genes involved in the different steps of denitrification in denitrifying bacteria. Here we will use a Systems Biology approach that links experimental molecular work and mathematical modelling. We believe that we have a high potential to develop a strong research consortium for which exchange of PhD students and young researchers will ensure mutual benefit and vivid research collaboration between the involved la boratories.