London Press Service Informs

CHINA AND UK START FIRST ACADEMIC-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP

A unique collaboration involving more than 20 of China’s higher education institutions and five in the United Kingdom has been launched. Called Innovation China UK, it is the first research and knowledge-transfer partnership between the two countries.
The groundbreaking collaboration has been set up to help support academic and business partners in building solid partnerships, to fund proof-of-concept research via a collaboration development fund, and – through its expertise in project management and technology transfer – to facilitate the commercialisation of joint intellectual property.
Her Excellency Madam Fu Ying, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the UK, and UK Minister for Science & Innovation Ian Pearson unveiled the new programme at Queen Mary, University of London, that is leading the partnership.
The UK Higher Education Innovation Fund – which supports knowledge transfer and increased business engagement in universities – has given the project five million pounds. China is providing funding through its Ministry of Science Technology.
China is certainly a key player in the global research and development (R&D) arena, currently housing the biggest R&D work force and enjoying the third biggest investment in the world.
The UK is hoping to tap into the sector’s credentials as well as raise awareness of what UK science and technology and the country’s universities have to offer.
In addition to Queen Mary, the other UK partners in the collaboration are King’s College London, the University of Nottingham, the Royal Veterinary College, and the University of Southampton.
China’s collaborators include the China Academy of Science (more than five institutes), Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Aerospace & Aeronautics, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China Ocean University, Nanjing University, University of Science & Technology and Xi’an Jiaotong University.
It is hoped that the collaboration will expand to involve more universities in the future.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Pearson said: “I particularly welcome the launch of Innovation China UK (ICUK) because of its emphasis on helping to bring ground-breaking research to the commercial market. It is also a further sign of cooperation between the UK and China.

Pictured are China’s Ambassador to the UK, Madam Fu Ying, with Science Minister Ian Pearson (centre) and Professor Adrian Smith, Principal of Queen Mary, University of London.

“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,” he added.
Jin Xiao Ming, director general of international cooperation at China’s Ministry of Science & Technology, commented: “Science and innovation is high on the agenda in Sino-British relations. The recent opening of the Research Councils’ China Office signals a new era of bilateral science and innovation cooperation. Several major initiatives are unfolding and ICUK is among them.
“It is high time we tap 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 has recognised the importance of collaborating with China to benefit from globalisation and to win “the race to the top” of innovation.
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 universities, where it became evident that many research-intensive higher education institutions already have significant UK – China R&D collaborations.”
Caroline Quest, chairman of ICUK partners’ board, added: “However, outcomes of such joint research are rarely commercialised 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.”
An added value of ICUK will be that lessons learned from the collaboration including guidance and briefings promoting UK – China R&D collaborations will be widely disseminated to organisations outside the partnership.