Dr. Othmar Schwank, one of executive board members INFRAS Switzerland, an evaluation expert of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), visited the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR) on 7th April, 2010. He aims to investigate ICIMOD's former corporation activities with IGSNRR.

Prof. ZHOU Chenghu, deputy director of IGSNRR, delivered welcoming address to Dr. Schwank's visit, and hoped that two partners could further cooperations in the future. Prof. ZHANG Linxiu, from IGSNRR, also an independent board member of ICIMOD, put forward that ICIMOD should pay more attention to different strategic ideas of corporations of science and technology to different developing countries. In her opinions, ICIMOD should facilitate and strengthen research levels in stability of mountain development in social economies. In the meeting Dr. Schwank made further discussions on cooperation ideas and suggestions with related Chinese researchers.