An Austrian expert makes a presentation at the business matchmaking teleconference on Aug 4. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com.cn]

The Zhejiang provincial department of science and technology and the Austrian embassy in China jointly hosted a business matchmaking teleconference for smart city initiatives on Aug 4.

Seven technological innovations from Austria and another four from Zhejiang province in East China were showcased during the event, which was aimed at exploring cooperation possibilities.

Attendees were particularly impressed with the presentation by Salzburg Research, an independent research institute in Austria, on how "digital twins", a new technology allowing data to be collected over the entire life cycle of a product, can be widely applied in aerospace, manufacturing, the circular economy, and other areas and cut down on R&D expenses.

Equally captivating were some artificial intelligence solutions provided by Zhejiang-based companies for online entertainment and autonomous driving.

Zhejiang and Austria signed a scientific technology cooperation memorandum in 2018. The two parties have since been working to strengthen cooperation between tech companies and research institutes in smart city initiatives and many other areas, according to an official from the Zhejiang provincial department of science and technology.