Adelino Canário and Deborah Power visited the Shanghai Ocean University in the context of the 'Evolution of the Immune System of Antarctic Fishes' - a joint project funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology of Portugal (FCT) and the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC). We talked with them about this visit.

Why did you go to Shanghai?
We came to Shanghai to discuss progress of our work in two projects with our partners of SHOU. One of the projects is about the Evolution of the immune system in fishes from the Antarctica  and the other about the immune repertoire of mussels. Since I will be going to Antarctica in January we also planned experiments to carry out there.

What was the highlight of your visit?
These visits are always busy and time goes quickly. They are also an opportunity to find out more about Chinese culture, gastronomy and new acquaintances. Similarly, colleagues from languages, arts and history departments seek us to know more about Portuguese culture. This exchange, generally around a tea ceremony is very interesting and takes you back in time.

Does this visit open new opportunities for you and other CCMAR researchers?
There are already ongoing activities between SHOU, CCMAR and the University of Algarve (UAlg). This time we had some discussions about opportunities for 2019, when 40 years of bilateral cooperation between Portugal and modern China are celebrated. We should have the third joint meeting between SHOU and UAlg in Shanghai, the CCMAR Summer School for SHOU students and other plans in the making.