Yongjiang Laboratory (Y-LAB) signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) to carry out all-round and multi-level strategic cooperation in talent training, resource sharing, scientific research cooperation and transformation of achievements in the next five years.
Y-LAB is a major science and technology innovation platform set up by Zhejiang province and Ningbo city. Focusing on new materials and related areas, it is committed to delivering cutting-edge basic research, developing world-changing technologies, and creating a sustainable innovation ecosystem. Aimed at becoming one of the most influential research institutes in the world, Y-LAB pushes the boundaries of knowledge and contributes to society.
UNNC is the first Sino-foreign university in China that has introduced premium teaching resources of a world class university and has an independent legal personality as well as an independent campus. UNNC has been rooted in Ningbo since its establishment in 2004, integrating its own development into the development of Ningbo, and is committed to introducing international science and technology innovative resources and serving the national development strategy and the development of Ningbo industries.
As part of their ongoing cooperation, the two parties will make full use of their respective advantages in terms of talents and scientific research resources, integrate their resources, use the platform as a carrier, and cooperate closely in research by jointly forming scientific research teams, undertaking scientific research projects, building scientific and technological platforms, collaborating on major scientific and technological tasks, and jointly hosting major academic conferences. The two sides will join hands in exploring a new mechanism to integrate the internationalisation of higher education and the innovation of science and technology and establishing a Doctoral Training Partnership in order to cultivate world-class PhD talents with an international perspective, allowing UNNC to transform into a high-level, innovative and international teaching and research university, empowering Y-LAB to become a world-class new materials innovation source, and contributing to the development of Ningbo into a modern coastal metropolis.
Wei Hua, a Member of CPC Standing Committee and Executive Vice Mayor of Ningbo, and other government officials, as well as leaders and scholars of UNNC and Y-LAB attended the signing ceremony.
Mr Hua, on behalf of the municipal government, extended warm congratulations on the cooperation. He believed that it is an important pilot for Y-LAB and UNNC to collaborate strategically to promote the coordinative development of education, talent, and science and technology. He stated that the Ningbo government will continuously provide support and opportunities for future collaboration between the two organisations. Meanwhile, he hoped that the parties would move into the next phase in order to create further concrete projects and plans, bring more enterprises into the collaboration, and produce significant collaborative achievements.
Professor Nick Miles OBE, UNNC Provost, pointed out in his speech that having been established and rooted in Ningbo for 19 years, UNNC shares the University of Nottingham's passion for excellence with impact, and has always been committed to providing high-quality education and research that addresses the challenges of the time. “UNNC is a fast-growing hub for excellence in research, innovation, and knowledge exchange. Today, we are proud to join forces with Yongjiang Laboratory to advance our efforts. I believe that we share the same vision and dedication to advancing science and technology in the city of Ningbo and beyond.”
"The MoU between Y-LAB and UNNC is a win-win cooperation strategy," said Ping Cui, Director of the Y-LAB. “Our collaboration will benchmark that of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California and make the best use of our advantages in talent and research, creating a new model of the deep integration of science and education in China.”
