The Joint International Research Laboratory for Environmental and Social Archaeology was approved to be built, according to the notice issued recently by the Ministry of Education.

This is the first approved joint international research laboratory in Shandong University.

The Joint International Research Laboratory for Environmental and Social Archaeology (hereinafter referred to as the Joint International Research Laboratory) relies on the "Base for Innovation and Introducing Talents of Discipline, SDU Environmental Archaeology" (111 Project, Base for Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities). It was formed in 2014 by SDU and Yale University. Its main body is operated in SDU and its sub-centre is set up in Yale. The Joint International Research Laboratory mainly focuses on three topics, including environment and resources, technology and economy, settlement and society, with cultural heritage protection and paleomagnetic dating as future research directions.

In recent years, under the support of the Base, the archaeological disciplines of this comprehensive and internationalized university have made remarkable achievements in settlement archaeology, environmental archaeology and cultural heritage protection, with numerous publications of high-level academic works and articles.

What is more, unique characteristics and advantages have emerged in social archaeology and science and technology archaeology. The establishment of Joint International Research Laboratory is of great significance for SDU to construct its archaeological disciplines, to build a cohesive team for archaeological talents, to promote scientific research, and to foster students' capacity of innovation.

The Ministry of Education launched the Joint International Research Laboratory in 2014, orientated towards the forefront of international science and the country's major needs. The aim of this program is to collect resources and talents for innovation, to actively involve domestic and foreign scientific research institutions as well as large enterprises in joint laboratory construction, and to enhance the innovation capacity and international academic reputation of Chinese universities. A total of 22 joint international research laboratories are approved this time, all of which are built relying on colleges and universities. The construction of a joint international research laboratory can be divided into three stages, including development, approval, and inspection and acceptance. The construction period after the approval is three years. After its completion, experts from the Ministry of Education will conduct on-site inspection, before it is put to use.

Source: view.sdu.edu.cn

Translated by Song Yijun

Edited by Feng Wei, Lang Cuicui