The 6^th Steering Committee meeting of China-U.S. Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) was hold on June 11, 2014. As the directors of advanced coal technology group and intellectual property (IP) group on Chinese side, Prof. Zheng Chuguang and Prof. Yu Xiang, were invited to attend the meeting with their team and delivered joint reports with the partners from the U.S. side respectively.

The vice chairman of Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference and the minister of ministry of science and technology Minister Wan Gang, the U. S. energy secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz, and U.S. ambassador to China Mr. Max Bascus attended the meeting and delivered speeches respectively.

At the meeting, leaders from three consortiums reported the work progress of their consortium respectively (advanced coal technology, building energy efficiency, clean vehicles). Minister Wan Gang and Dr. Ernest Moniz spoke highly of the work of CERC and thought that CERC was an innovative model for international science and research collaboration. It has become a landmark project of science and technology cooperation between the two nations, which can be adapted to other cooperation projects between China and U.S or among other nations. China and U.S. have reached agreements on the operation, management and future work plan of CERC.

Prof. Yu Xiang and Mr. Stacy Baird (leader of U.S. IP group), have jointly reported on the work progress, expected highlights and the challenges of intellectual property group. Dr. Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Minister of Energy, pointed that the Technology Management Plan (TMP) and IP protection frame are theoretical and innovative and proposed that the IP work of CERC could be further discussed and presented in the next innovation dialogue between China and U.S. Minister Wan Gang pointed that, IP work should focus not only on protecting, sharing and utilization, but also on coordinating and guiding the IP creation, sharing and investment transactions to make values and performances, create investment and job opportunities. Minister Wan put forward new requests for IP group: strict protection, active creation, obvious profit and protecting the interest of creators.

There are more than 120 people attending the meeting, who came from Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, National Energy Administration, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China (MOHURD), United States Department of Energy, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the relevant person in charge of the Embassy of U.S. in China, members of International Consortium for University Exchanges (ICUE-USA), research institutions and enterprise representatives. Prof. Liu Zhaohui, Prof. Wu Tianhua and Dr.Liu Shan from HUST were invited to the meeting as key members of advanced coal technology consortium and IP group.