GLOBAL - QM-CHINA

The context of the research

As China is set to be the major source of global economic growth for the next decades, it is clearly essential that the UK is linked into and can benefit both from the excellent research that is being fostered in China (China's engineering research is already in the world top three for impact, for example, and second in Physics, with nearly 20% of world papers), and from the potential for the exploitation and implementation of that research.
Queen Mary has an outstanding track record of working in collaboration with Chinese partners. Our ability to collaborate successfully with China HEI's is best evidenced in our long-term award-winning partnership with China in teaching providing IET-accredited joint (dual) degree programmes in telecommunications with BUPT, but also through institutional partnerships and research centres, and through numerous individual research collaborations. Our track record of working with industrial partners in China builds on the Innovation China UK (ICUK) programme which was the first UK-China collaboration to promote joint innovation and knowledge transfer. Launched in 2007, the £4.9 million HEFCE and BIS-funded initiative, was led by Queen Mary and with the end of the original funding ICUK has been embedded into Queen Mary's business development unit.

Projects aims and objectives

The overarching aim of the project is to develop sustainable research collaborations with key and significant Chinese partners. We will build on the strengths of both traditions and of the partner organisations to ensure long-term sustainability through appropriate funding streams, while recognising the significant barriers (both cultural and operational) that exist on both sides.

The project has two major strands:

The expansion of strong existing links with the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) into significant research collaborations on wireless, Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, software-defined networking, content-aware network infrastructures, and social media, leading to a sustainable laboratory with legal status capable of participating in mainstream Chinese research.

The development of significant, long-term collaborations in Materials with China, centred on a Sino-British Materials Research Institute to be established in 2012 with Sichuan University (SCU), initially focussing on functional materials, including organic electronics and spintronic materials, computational physics, polymer science, materials chemistry and biomaterials.

Key features of our strategy for long-term engagement with Chinese partners are:

1) a focus on the next generation of research leaders in China, through engagement with postgraduate Chinese researchers;
2) close engagement of end users, technology community and policy makers in China for developing industry focused applications and influencing technology strategy development for UK;
3) developing understanding of academic culture and practice in both UK and China for the Chinese and UK academic participants, respectively


Projects potential applications and benefits

We believe that there will be very significant benefits to both academic and non-academic communities (detailed in the 'academic beneficiaries' and 'impact' summaries) in:

1) developing sustainable models for research collaboration with Chinese universities;
2) developing a deeper understanding of, and solutions to, the cultural and operational barriers to such research collaborations;
3) significant new outputs in the general areas of telecommunications and materials research;
4) developing and promoting knowledge transfer opportunities for Queen Mary's and UK research in China.

We fully expect to apply the approaches we develop through this project to further our collaborations with other key and high quality HEI partners in China.

This proposal aims to foster, and demonstrate, UK-China excellence in collaboration with the research community, with policy makers in China and with industry. Specifically, we will fast-forward QM collaborations in two areas with great potential for Chinese investment, international knowledge transfer and strong economic impact: in the fast-growing technology hotspot of IoT, and in research-intensive physics and materials areas.

The key beneficiaries of the collaborations include:
1) UK and Chinese academic researchers, HEIs, and funding agencies, enabling the sharing of knowledge and access each other's expertise, funding and facilities. Through carefully chosen, long-term links, and embedded systems learning, QM will ensure sustainability of collaborations focusing on raising research quality, accessing sustainable funding and exploiting collaboration outputs. QM will build 2 new joint research centres in Wuxi and Chengdu through which 30 UK/Chinese researchers and 50 students will participate staff exchange and research workshops for developing joint funding proposals, joint publications, and to be trained in understanding each other's innovation systems.

2) UK policy-makers wishing to further the bilateral relationship in S&T collaboration. China is ahead of many developed countries in supporting application development and industry clusters. Policy engagement with local governments in Wuxi and Sichuan for technology strategy and standard development in new sectors such as IoT and advanced materials will increase the visibility of UK innovation and create opportunities for wider, longer-term sustainable collaborations. Over 20 Chinese policy-makers and senior executives will attend our strategy development and executive training workshops held by ICUK with FCO-SIN and TSB KTN in Wuxi and Chengdu.

3) UK and Chinese technology-based companies who are keen to work with UK institutes in exploiting their technology and intellectual properties in China's exponential market. Technology commercialisation facilitated by ICUK, a BIS 'Focal Points for Innovation', will accelerate the research cycle for UK innovation and leverage Chinese development capacity, maximising economic impact for the UK. Licensing and contract research will also bring incomes to the China-based QM institutes. Working with Chinese local S&T authorises, our research and commercial engagement events in Beijing, Wuxi and Chengdu will attract over 100 UK/Chinese institutes and companies for knowledge exchange and technology exploitation.

4) The global energy and low-carbon agenda advocated by the UK government. Knowledge exchange, joint R&D in IoT and advanced materials as well as widespread applications of new technologies particularly in rapidly urbanising China, is the key to achieve global sustainability goals. Energy-saving and carbon reduction applications for environmental monitoring and the IoT smart cities that are part of QM's collaborations will be instrumental.

5) The UK economy: through recruitment of highly-skilled researchers and students to QM. It is widely recognised in the world's most innovative countries that success in educating and attracting highly-skilled people is the key to winning the global competition in economic development. QM will pilot joint/sandwich PhD programmes supported by CSC. Our partner institutions will diversify our reliance on individual recruitment and plugs us into students' China networks as well as future employers. Such collaborations will ensure the sustainability of the UK's access to the best minds, as these individuals become increasingly mobile throughout their careers. 12 joint PhDs will be recruited in 2012, increasing to 35 per annum in 3 years.