Funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the LMRG and the DAAD together synthesize basic knowledge about China’s science system and seek to map competencies, identify future needs, and develop innovative approaches for science cooperation with China. The joint project scientifically accompanies 11 local projects in the BMBF’s current “Regio China” initiative.

The project investigates the three "emerging powers" China, India and Kenya and their activities in the field of global technical standard-setting. One aim of the project is to develop a theoretical framework for investigating how and why some developing countries manage to gain power in the field of global standardisation against all odds.

Amidst global technological changes, China's rapid development of over 1,000 "smart cities" raises urgent questions about digital governance's societal impact. This project examines these effects, employing mixed methods to understand how technology integrates into local decision-making dynamics. 

The project explores how Russia and China create and communicate alternative narratives about the Ukraine war and global alliances. These narratives, rooted in anti-Western rhetoric, are accepted, rejected, or reinterpreted by their populations due to internal divisions and changing power dynamics.

Policymaking in Reform era China has been characterized by a technocratic approach. Recently, there is a growing emphasis on involving scientists and scholars in policy advisory roles and new think tanks, while there has also been a resurgence of ideologization and decision-making driven purely by politics. This project examines science-policy interactions at the local level, aiming to discern patterns and conceptualize emerging trends in Chinese politics.

Sociologist Robert K. Merton and others argued in 20th century that science would only thrive in democratic societies. Today, with resilient autocracies like China, Iran, and Russia participating quite successfully in global science, a reassessment seems needed. Through contemporary case studies, the project revisits classic hypotheses about the interrelations of political regimes and academia.