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The Rt Hon David Willetts MP, UK Minister for Science and Universities, announced £7 million of UK China research and innovation funding during his visit to China with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to participate in the UK China Economic and Financial Dialogue. The UK China science and innovation relationship is going from strength to strength, as demonstrated by the fact that there are currently £47 million of jointly funded UK China research programmes. The Minister spoke to journalists during a visit to Beijing Machine Tools Institute on Monday 14 October, where he announced new figures which show that in 2011 the UK overtook Japan to become second only to the US in the number of its joint research publications with China.
The Minister announced three major collaborative UK-China joint programmes, totalling over £7 million of co-funding from the UK Research Councils, the Technology Strategy Board and Chinese partners*
A new investment of £3 million from the UK’s innovation agency the Technology Strategy Board, Research Councils UK (RCUK), and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology will be used to support research and innovation partnerships in the area of sustainable manufacturing. This is the first collaboration of its kind between RCUK, the Technology Strategy Board and an international partner outside Europe, and will support the development and commercialisation of innovative approaches to sustainable manufacturing.
RCUK and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to jointly commit up to £4 million in collaboration to fund a second phase of stem cell research between leading scientists from UK and China. This will build on a previous investment to build UK-China partnerships in this important area of research. Leading experts from China and the UK will meet in Shanghai this week to review the UK-China partnership and establish the next phase of our partnership.
RCUK and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are pleased to co-fund 5 UK-China partnering awards which will support development of collaborations between leading UK and Chinese researchers in the area of synthetic biology. £250,000 of funding will be used to support collaborative activities such as exchange of early career researchers, workshops, reciprocal access to facilities, networking and travel over a 3-4 year period. This is the first time BBSRC and EPSRC have run a joint funding call with CAS and it is hoped that this will form a strong foundation for further joint working with China in the future.
The Minister met with MoST Vice Minister Cao Jianlin on Monday and both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral innovation collaboration.
The Minister also announced the launch of a new report on China’s innovation landscape, by the UK’s innovation foundation Nesta. The report, titled ‘China’s Absorptive State’, includes new statistics which show that the UK is now China’s second largest research partner in terms of co-publications, and recommends that the UK and China develop a new five year strategy for collaboration in research and innovation to harness the huge potential in this area. The Minister said: "This £7 million boost for research and innovation in stem cells, sustainable manufacturing and synthetic biology is further evidence that UK-China relations are going from strength to strength. China is a natural partner in this type of innovative scientific venture and I am confident that over the coming years we will be able to celebrate even more fruitful joint projects that will help both our economies to grow."
Cao Jinghua, Deputy Director-General of Bureau of International Cooperation of CAS, said: “We at CAS attach great importance to international collaboration. The idea of this program is to put the best minds together. Together our scientists and these from the UK can advance this field more efficiently. In the progress of their cooperation, I hope they will further strengthen their linkages and collaboration, and tackle bigger challenges for the needs of mankind.”
*All figures have been adjusted to account for Chinese staffing and overhead costs
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Contact:
Cindy Xu, Press Office, British Embassy Beijing
cindy.xu@fco.gov.uk
Photographs are available on request on Tuesday 15th October.
Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the strategic partnership of the UK's seven Research Councils who annually invest around £3 billion in research. We support excellent research, as judged by peer review, that has an impact on the growth, prosperity and wellbeing of the UK. To maintain the UK’s global research position we offer a diverse range of funding opportunities, foster international collaborations and provide access to the best facilities and infrastructure around the world. We also support the training and career development of researchers and work with them to inspire young people and engage the wider public with research. To maximise the impact of research on economic growth and societal wellbeing we work in partnership with other research funders including the Technology Strategy Board, the UK Higher Education funding bodies, business, government, and charitable organisations. www.rcuk.ac.uk.
The seven UK Research Councils are:
RCUK China was established in 2007 to enhance research funding partnerships between the UK and China. We aim to support the best researchers in the UK and China to develop high quality, high impact research partnerships. RCUK China is based in the British Embassy in Beijing. We work closely with the UK’s Science and Innovation Network-China, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, British Council and the UK’s Department for International Development.
The Technology Strategy Board is the UK’s innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org
The Ministry of Science & Technology of the People's Republic of China (MoST) heads up science and technology (S&T) development plans and policies in China, drafting related laws, regulations and department rules, and guaranteeing their implementation. It is responsible for drafting the National Basic Research Programme, the National High-tech R&D Programme and the S&T Enabling Programme.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is a leading academic institution and comprehensive research and development centre in natural science, technological science and high-tech innovation in China. It consists of the Academic Divisions and various subordinate institutions. Membership of the Academy represents the highest level of national honour for Chinese scientists.
To date, CAS has 13 branch offices, over 100 research institutes, and 2 universities: the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
For more information about CAS: http://english.cas.cn/
The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) was founded in 1986 with the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It is a funding organization responsible for the management of the National Natural Science Fund and aims at promoting and financing basic research and applied basic research in China.
Nesta is the UK’s innovation foundation. It helps people and organisations bring great ideas to life by providing investments and grants and mobilising research, networks and skills. It is an independent charity and its work is enabled by an endowment from the National Lottery. www.nesta.org.uk
The report ‘China’s Absorptive State’ is published by Nesta, with partners Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Research Councils UK China and Foreign Office-BIS Science and Innovation Network. It is available to download from: www.nesta.org.uk/chinas_absorptive_state
Beijing Machine Tool Research Institute (BMTRI) is a leading research institute in China’s machine tool industry, established in 1956. Originally a government-lead research institute, in 1999 it changed its status to become an enterprise. It provides China’s manufacturing industry with a research and machine tool production base.
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