May 26, Tsinghua University, the University of Michigan and the Beijing Institute of Collaborative Innovation jointly cofounded the Water Technologies Global Collaboratory, with the name chosen to highlight the collaborative nature of the joint laboratory. The laboratory, which is based on important contemporary areas and directions of academic and industrial development, has the goal of performing research into envisioning and key technologies, as well as cultivating leading talent in innovation and enterpreneurship, and realizing a global collaborative innovation effort among the partners. The laboratory opens up a brand new mode for international scientific research and talent cultivation.
The collaborative laboratory aims at promoting academic and industrial development, and is established and operated under the principle of “collaboration, opening-up, mobility and competition”. The underlying goals are to build a world first-class research institute, to form an alliance between leading institutions, and to make full use of complementary advantages through international cooperation. The three parties, who are all co-sponsors of the collaborative laboratory, are responsible for its establishment and for its management. In particular, the collaborative laboratory will strive to make technological breakthroughs in water pollution control technology, water resourcification technology and water safety technology. Moreover through collaborative innovation the laboratory to aims to develop a series of key technologies, and to develop a group of cutting-edge technological results and promote their industrialization, thereby establishing a top dominance in technological innovation and industrial innovation in water technology, and fostering the cultivation of professional leading talents through the joint training of graduate students and post doctorates. The Beijing Institute of Collaborative Innovation will fund the collaborative laboratory’s scientific research and talent cultivation.
At the signing ceremony for the laboratory, Tsinghua’s Vice President, Xue Qikun, introduced Tsinghua’s history and its cultivation of international talent. He noted that Tsinghua University and Michigan University first signed a cooperative agreement as early as 2005, and have ever since carried out close collaboration both regarding student exchanges, and academic communication in areas such as environmental studies and mechanical engineering, achieving great success. Vice President Xue added that in the future Tsinghua University would continue to promote international cooperation, and support the development of the international water technology collaboratory. University of Michigan Vice President, Jack Hu, introduced the history and the academic achievements of the University of Michigan. He pointed out that the University of Michigan and Tsinghua University have established a good, long term cooperative relation, and spoke highly of the collaborative achievements, and congratulated all involved in this cooperation. He said that the University of Michigan would actively support the construction and development of the collaborative laboratory. Wang Jixiang, Dean of the Beijing Institute of Collaborative Innovation, firstly congratulated all on the establishment of the collaborative laboratory, and introduced the institute’s “International Collaboration” program, which actively promotes innovative modes of forming alliances between leading institutions. He said that the International Water Technologies Global Collaboratory is[JF1] a key project of the program and that the institute had great expectations for its success. Afterwards, as the collaborative laboratory’s co-director, Professor Huang Xia from Tsinghua’s School of Environment introduced in detail developments in water technology at the School of Environment and the National Key Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, highlighting also the cooperation between the School of Environment and the University of Michigan in scientific collaboration, talent exchange and cultivation, as well as the short-term and long-term working plans of the collaboration laboratory. Prof. Xia added that she was very happy to participate in this innovative collaborative venture and hoped that it would achieve great success.
Representatives of the University of Michigan present at the signing ceremony of the International Water Technology Laboratory were Jack Hu, Vice President of scientific research, Alec Gallimore, Dean of the Engineering College, Martin Philbert, Dean of the Public Health College, Chuanwu Xi, Director of the UM-BICI Partnership Program, Christine Muchanic, Director of International Relations at the Public Health College. Representatives from the Beijing Institute of Collaborative Innovation were Dean Wang Jixiang, Vice Dean Zhou Jianxin, Dean Assistant Lv Dongjiao, Director of the Department of Energy and Environment Shi Hanchang, and Executive Director of the Department of Energy and Environment Lin Caishun. Representatives from Tsinghua University were Vice President Xue Qikun, Ma Jun and Lu Xiaojun, Director and Vice Director of the Overseas R&D Management Office,General Office of Scientific R&D, Wu Ye and Yue Dongbei, Dean and Vice Dean of the School of Environment, and Huang Xia, Director of the National Key Laboratory for Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control and Co-Director of International Water Technology Collaboratory, as well as faculty representatives from the School of Environment, including Zuo Jian’e, Liu Wenjun and Liu Yanchen. The signing ceremony was held by Ma Jun, Director of the Overseas R&D Management Office, General Office of Scientific R&D.
