In April 2014, Zhejiang University and Oslo University (Norway) agreed on a joint research program - Airborne: Pollution, Climate Change, and New Visions of Sustainability in China. Professor Mette Halskov Hansen, from Oslo University’s Department of Cultural Studies and Oriental Languages became the Director, and Associate Professor Liu Chaohui became the Director for the Chinese side. The program positions itself as an interdisciplinary one, involving academic disciplines such as natural science, humanities and social science. Fifteen scholars were recruited, and a majority of which were recruited from Olso University and Zhejiang University. Scholars from Tsinghua University, Chinese University Hong Kong, Oregon State University (USA) were also recruited. Their academic backgrounds range from Atmospheric Science, Environment Engineering, Humanities, History, Political Science, Public Policy and Communications.

Team members worked together from social survey to environmental measurement, and on data gathering and analysis. They gathered in Olso and worked together on the publication of their research results. In July 2018, China Quarterly published their results on environmental pollution and management in a special issue. The special issue is comprised of five articles, and is an attempt to create a dialogue between natural science and humanities and social science on four topics – environmental policy, local implementation, grassroot perspective, and cultural comparison. This dialogue helped explore human cognition and behavioural logic in the research on environmental issues. Apart from the special issue, team members also published A Window on the Sky – an educational book promoting environmental protection. Research results received broad readership in Scandinavian countries and societies in Western countries.

Currently, the two schools are working on a comprehensive plan to promote student and scholar exchange, curriculum development and research collaboration.