UK and China agree multi-milion pound global research deals
Over £50 million of joint innovative research programmes to tackle global issues like climate change, long-term renewable energy supplies and human diseases have been agreed on 17 June 2014 between the UK and China.
Universities and Science Minister David Willetts joined Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming at the UK-China Summit to sign an agreement for the first programmes of the joint UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund.
The two countries approved the programmes, worth £53 million, and a wider 5-year implementation plan of the fund, which will eventually include deals worth a total of £200 million to 2019.
The programmes, of which costs will be split equally between the two nations, include:
- a £23 million scientific research programme – led in the UK by the Met Office – that will help build the basis for services to protect against extreme weather and prepare for a changing climate in Asia
- £16 million of joint research partnerships – led in the UK by Research Councils UK – to support advances in marine energy, regenerative medicine and stem cells, atmospheric pollution and human health, and sustaining the soil ecosystem
- £14 million of Newton Fellowships to provide the opportunity for Chinese and UK researchers to develop meaningful collaborations with scientists in one another’s country
Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: "The world faces a number of global challenges, and high quality science and innovation and their application are essential for identifying long-term solutions. By working together, the UK and China’s ability to produce higher quality research and create opportunities to develop and commercialise new innovative technologies are greatly increased. The UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund is an exciting new model of collaboration between the UK and China, which builds upon the excellent relationship we already share in science and innovation."
In a further boost to UK-China joint partnerships it was also announced on 17 June 2014 that FutureLearn, the UK-based social learning platform, is to grow and partner with its first Chinese universities – Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University – to create high quality educational experiences for learners in China, and all over the world, through free online courses.
The partnership will provide both Chinese universities with a digital platform to reach thousands of learners globally through massive open online courses, and connect those students with a range of academic, leisure and career-enhancing courses from leading UK and international institutions.
