Launch for China-UK Research Collaboration
Thursday 22nd November 2007
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A ground-breaking collaboration between academics in the UK and China has had its official launch in London.
Innovation China-UK (ICUK) pools research expertise from the two countries in a bid to bring the latest joint research to the worldwide marketplace.
The ICUK consortium, which includes five UK universities including The University of Nottingham and at least 20 in China, is unique as the first UK - China joint innovation and knowledge transfer partnership. It is funded with £5m from the UK Higher Education Innovation Fund and complementary funding from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.
ICUK supports academic and business partners in forging collaborations, funding proof-of-concept research, and commercialising joint intellectual property across the UK and China. Its activities will enhance the profile and visibility of UK science and technology, and the international reputation of UK universities.
Her Excellency Madam Fu Ying, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the UK joined with Ian Pearson MP, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, to officially launch ICUK in London on November 20.
Dr Susan Huxtable, Director of Intellectual Property Management and Commercialisation at The University of Nottingham, said: "We are delighted that this project has come to fruition, through the hard work of collaborative partners in both UK and China.
"ICUK will cement Nottingham's many existing research collaborations with top Chinese Higher Education Institutions and will assist in the formation of new collaborations. The Proof of Concept funding available through ICUK will increase the chances of commercial success for a number of existing projects - for the benefit of both countries."
The University of Nottingham already has particularly close links with China: 2005 saw the official opening of its new campus in the dynamic Chinese city of Ningbo, south of Shanghai. The campus now has 2,850 students.
ICUK is led within the UK by Queen Mary, University of London, with the other partners being The University of Nottingham, King's College London, the Royal Veterinary College and the University of Southampton.
Chinese collaborators include the China Academy of Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Aerospace and Aeronautics, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China Ocean University China, Nanjing University, University of Science and Technology China and Xi'an Jiaotong University.
Speaking at the launch event at Queen Mary, London, Ian Pearson MP said: "ICUK is a further sign of co-operation between the UK and China. Such existing research partnerships mark a potentially significant step in the capability of both countries to boost knowledge transfer.
"With greater knowledge transfer comes a greater ability to innovate. Both the UK and China are at the forefront of cutting-edge science. Together we can benefit from a strong research base that works effectively with business."
China now has the biggest research and development (R&D) workforce, and the third biggest R&D investment in the world. The UK has recognised the importance of collaborating with China to benefit from globalisation and to win 'the race to top' of innovation.
ICUK supports collaborative research in areas such as energy; climate change and sustainable environment; infectious diseases; biomedicine and drug discovery including traditional Chinese medicine; nanotechnology and material science; and space technology.
Jin Xiao Ming, Director General of International co-operation, Ministry of Science and Technology, China said: "Science and innovation is high on the agenda in Sino-British relations.
"It is high time we tapped into the enormously rich resources of joint research projects between our research institutions and bring them into the orbit of practical application and wealth creation. I firmly believe that ICUK will achieve success and expand to involve additional world-renowned UK universities in the future."
ICUK will have three main activities:
A state-of-the-art knowledge network and an events and dissemination programme
An ICUK collaboration development fund into which partner universities may submit applications for proof of concept and business development grants
Expertise in project management and technology transfer to support commercialisation of joint intellectual property.
Professor Adrian Smith, Principal of Queen Mary, University of London said: "This project came about as a result of past experience working with UK and Chinese higher education institutions, where it became evident that many research-intensive higher education institutions already have significant UK-China research and development collaborations."
"However, outcomes of such joint research are rarely commercialised," Caroline Quest, Chairman of ICUK Partners' Board, added, "as a result of the significant cultural barriers and the lack of dedicated support for UK-China technology transfer. ICUK aims to deliver dedicated UK-China technology transfer support, lower barriers and facilitate the commercialisation of UK-China research outputs."
