January 2004 : CENTRIC AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL was proposed by the Austrian government to the European Union as Austrian candidate for the International Co-operation Award for Sustainable Development

It is great honour for CENTRIC AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL that we were selected by the Austrian Government as Austrian candidate for this award of the European Union in 2004. Managing director Gerhard Weihs expressed, that "already having been nominated is a great success and proof for the outstanding activities of our association".
The candidacy is based on the very unique constellaton of the partnership between a strong governmental organisation in a very big country (China) and a professional non-profit association in a very small country (Austria).
Awareness and capacity building through environmental training programmes are the objectives of a unique partnership between the Austrian professional non-profit association CENTRIC AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL (CAI) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the People's Republic of China. Up to now about five hundred selected Chinese experts have attended training programmes in the framework of this partnership in China, more than 70 Chinese experts were invited by CAI to study tours and long term trainings in Europe, almost 100 European organisations, companies and institutions were inaugurated to the Chinese experts and partners, vice versa dozens of Chinese institutions were made akquainted with European experts. The coming activities are based on a periodical updated strategic planning to focus efficiently on topics which earn the highest priority for a sustainable development. The partnership is grateful for the support given by international developing agencies as well as the Austrian and the Chinese government.
The specific objectives of the partnership are to develop and execute environmental training projects and to stimulate the exchange of experiences and best practice approaches on expert level and appropriate human resources development to build awareness and capacities for a sustainable development:
Environmental protection
The majority of earth-population and also a large number of people in China suffer from deficient supply of energy and water and insufficient waste water and solid waste disposal. Growth of population, progressing urbanisation, industrialisation and consumption danger environment, living conditions, climate and limited resources. The partnership addresses major topics with strategic meaning to meet these problems on technological, scientific, economical and management level:
- Environmental Management
- Energy Planning and Energy Efficiency
- CO2 Management and Climate Change
- Cleaner Production and Resource Efficiency
Economic development
The partnership aims at supporting the building of new business partnerships between Europe and China. Increased competition and economical integration do prompt more and more companies to look beyond their traditional markets. One way to do this is to forge strategic alliances. CENTRIC AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL (CAI) is such an alliance in pooling competences, capacities and references of its members and partners. The needed keys to develop distant partnerships successfully can be organised efficiently by risk and cost sharing: be correctly informed, be prepared to face a new business culture and be able to find the right counterpart. For its Chinese partner CAI acts like a window to the European market.
Social equity
The partnership is based on the conviction, that the efforts of developing countries to increase welfare are justified, but the global demographic, economic, social and ecological changes are challenging more sustainable concepts and strategies. In this respect the activities undertaken have the character of help-to-selfhelp programmes, which should enable the concerned people to improve their living conditions in fairness and equity on the long run.
Meanwhile the partnership has materilized in several concrete training projects, which were co-financed by international agencies and the Austrian and the Chinese government including own contributions of the involved parties:
- Training Programme on Energy Management and Energy Efficiency in the Peoples Repubic of China and in Europe (SYNERGY PROGRAMME 2000 - 2001, Ref. N° 4.1041/D/99-038
- Training Programme on Greenhouse Gas Reducing Energy Strategies, Tools and Technologies in the Peoples Repubic of China and in Europe (SYNERGY PROGRAMME 2002 - 2003, Ref. N° 4.1041/D/01-004-SI2.327764)
- Clean Energy Action China - Capacity Development for the Adoption of Clean Energy Technologies to Reduce Air Pollution in Chinese Cities (United Nations Development Programme 2002 - 2004, CPR/01/302/B/01/99)
- Professional Human Resources Development and Management - Support of Western Region Development in the People's Republic of China (United Nations Development Programme 2003 - 2004, CPR/01/520/C/01/99)
- Cleaner Production in the Foundry Industry of the People's Republic of China (ASIA-INVEST Technical Assistance Programme 2004 - 2005, Ref. N° ASI/B7-301/02/0535-004-71307)
Further training projects according to the above mentioned plannings are under preparation.