The University of Warwick, and in particular its School of Engineering, is part of a new government funded partnership of UK Russell Group Universities with the top nine engineering institutions in China.

The partnership was set up following a prestigious award funded by the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (and supported by the British Council) to build major collaborations around research and education, which is aimed at building higher education links and helping to improve the quality of engineering research and teaching in China.

The new consortium is the first of its kind to partner leading UK universities with the top nine engineering research institutions in China. Alongside the University of Warwick the consortium includes: Queen’s University Belfast (who are leading the initiative), Birmingham, Cardiff University, Nottingham and University College London, The group represents one quarter of the Russell Group of research intensive universities in the UK, with world leading research and education excellence in engineering.

During a delegation to Shanghai by Jo Johnson MP in September, the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy agreed to award the initiative £200,000 . The UK group of universities met formally in the middle of March and had the first face to face meeting with the Chinese University Partners on 25^th March to discuss the partnership, during a special workshop in Beijing.

The funding will see the successful universities working closely with the top ten engineering institutions in China, which will enable the UK universities to create a critical mass on a cluster of key engineering areas, such as energy and advanced manufacturing, and will help maintain the UK’s global standing in light of increasing international competition. It will also allow China to make the transition from a big manufacturer to a manufacturing industry superpower.

Professor Jihong Wang (Professor of Electrical Power & Control Engineering in the University of Warwick’s School of Engineering) said:

“The world is facing global engineering challenges, not just in my own area of power generation, control and storage, but across a range of technologies. We need partnerships such as these that pull together the best minds in the UK and Chinese engineering research to take on those challenges and to make a real, positive, difference to our daily lives.”

Professor Pam Thomas - Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Warwick said:

“Warwick’s Global Research Priorities programme covers a range of topics addresses some of the most challenging problems facing the world today including: new materials, sustainable cities, energy and innovative manufacturing. Engineering innovation will be key to addressing a great many of these priorities. Forming partnerships between some of the leading engineers in the UK and China is another significant step in taking a global approach to these issues.”

Note for Editors:

The partners in China include: Southeast University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Chongqing University, Dalian University of Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, South China University of Technology, Tianjin University and Tongji University

For further information please contact:

Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Policy
University of Warwick
Tel UK 024 76523708 office
07767 655860 mobile
Tel Overseas: +44 (0)24 76523708 office +44 (0)7767 655860 mobile/cell
Email p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk

PJD PR500 28th March 2017