Looking Ahead: ISSI-BJ Brainstorming Forum Held on November 18-19

Following the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding on February 14, 2012 between the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) and the National Space Science Center (NSSC), CAS, ISSI-BJ was officially inaugurated on 16 July 2013. It was decided, for the first time in the history of ISSI, to share the name, the same Scientific Committee, the same study tools, and other information of mutual relevance and interest. However, both use independent operational methods and different funding sources.

The ISSI-BJ regulations adopted in July 2013 by ISSI-BJ will remain valid for a period of two years starting on 1 July 2013. In order to ensure the continuity of ISSI-BJ, new regulations will have to be adopted by its Board of Trustee (BoT) prior to 1 July 2015. In that perspective, ISSI-BJ organized a forum on November 18-19 to review the achievements of ISSI-BJ and discuss its future orientations and development. Internal as well as external experts from ISSI, NSSC, CAS, ESA, the Kavali Institute at the Peking University, Max Planck Society, IKI, APSCO, and the National Astronomic Observatory brainstormed future strategies for ISSI-BJ. Elements of particular importance were also the ISSI-BJ relationships with ISSI and NSSC, the role for ISSI-BJ in the CAS program and/or in China, as well as the perspectives of enlarging the number of new sponsors by they governmental, international or private. The outcome was highly prosperous and will help to strengthen ISSI-BJ position as a platform for scientific exchange in the Chinese as well as international Space Science communities.

One of the outcomes of this forum will be a report, produced by ISSI-BJ, which includes the agenda items and its discussions and recommendations. This report will be distributed to both ISSI-BJ/ISSI BoTs and will be made also freely available to the forum participants.