| Posted: November 21, 2007 |
Innovation China UK (ICUK) will support nanotechnology research |
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(Nanowerk News) At a ceremony held on Tuesday November 20, 2007 at Queen Mary, University of London, Her Excellency Madam Fu Ying, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the UK and Ian Pearson MP, Minister of State for Science and Innovation formally launched Innovation China UK (ICUK).
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ICUK is a unique collaboration involving five British and over twenty Chinese higher education institutions. Led by Queen Mary, University of London, ICUK is the first collaborative research and knowledge transfer partnership between the two countries. It 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. The other ICUK British partners are Kings College London, the University of Nottingham, the Royal Veterinary College, and the University of Southampton.
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Professor Adrian Smith, Principal of Queen Mary, University of London commented:
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“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."
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"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," added Caroline Quest, Chairman of ICUK Partners' Board. "ICUK aims to deliver dedicated UK-China technology transfer support, lower barriers and facilitate the commercialisation of UK-China research outputs.”
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China now has the biggest Research and Development (R&D) workforce, and the third biggest R&D investment in the world. ICUK has recognised the importance of collaborating with China to benefit from globalisation and to win 'the race to the 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.
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The project has been awarded £5 million (approx. $10.2 million)in funding by the UK Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), which supports knowledge transfer and increased business engagement in universities. China is providing complimentary funding through its Ministry of Science Technology (MoST).
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