Healthcare research centre boosts Edinburgh-Zhejiang alliance
Medical research will be translated into technologies to improve healthcare as part of a new collaboration between Chinese researchers and the University of Edinburgh.
The Biomedical Translational Research Centre at Haining in Zhejiang province will be developed in association with the Zhejiang University – University of Edinburgh Institute.
The centre will create commercial products and develop new ideas for innovative care.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed this week by the University of Edinburgh, Zhejiang University and the Juanhu Lake International Science Park Committee.
Scottish Government
The agreement was witnessed by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Mayor of Haining Municipal Government, Cao Guolaing.
Scotland’s First Minister is in China promoting the growing economic, cultural and educational links between China and Scotland.
I welcome this agreement, which opens up great opportunities for the University of Edinburgh to work with their Chinese partners to develop new healthcare technologies. It is a fine example of how academic institutions in Scotland and China can work together to share their expertise.
PhD programme
An MoU between the University of Edinburgh and Zhejiang University was also signed to create a four-year PhD programme in biomedical sciences, which will be taught in English.
The agreements build upon existing links between the two universities.
International campus
The City of Haining has invested $500 million in an international campus that officially opened last year. It is one of several innovative partnerships between Zhejiang University and leading international partners.
The purpose-built campus will eventually accommodate 5000 students.
Biomedical expertise
The Zhejiang University – University of Edinburgh Institute brings together biomedical researchers and teaching staff from both universities.
The degree programme offers a curriculum reflecting the full breadth of biomedical science, including infectious diseases, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology and reproductive biology.
The Zhejiang University – University of Edinburgh Institute has a strong emphasis on research, with leading international scientists recruited to work alongside colleagues from Edinburgh and Zhejiang.
Teaching is provided by a mixture of staff based permanently at the new campus and visiting academics from Edinburgh, who travel to China for 12-week periods.
This new commitment between Zhejiang and Edinburgh reflects the strong and innovative collaboration between our two universities, both in terms of education and translational research. The new research centre at Haining campus is a fantastic opportunity to link the collaborative research of the Zhejiang-Edinburgh Institute with a concerted drive towards commercialisation and improvements in healthcare provision.