Tianjin University-University of Michigan (Nantong) Joint Research Institute Founde

On May 15, the Tianjin University-University of Michigan (Nantong) Joint Research Institute was founded. Hu Wenping, Vice President of Tianjin University, Eric Michielssen, Associate Vice President of the University of Michigan and Song Lewei, Member of Standing Committee of the Municipal Committee of Nantong, jointly inaugurated the Institute, which marked the cooperation between the three parties entering into a substantive stage.

Hu Wenping, Eric Michielssen and Zhou Yuehua, the Director of the Administrative Committee of Nantong Hi-Tech Development Zone, jointly signed a tripartite cooperation agreement. The Joint Research Institute will set up three centers: the Sustainable Urban Design and Construction Engineering Center, the Energy Systems Center, and the Advanced Materials and Processing (Manufacturing) Center. The research teams for each center will be composed of researchers from both universities.

Hu Wenping said the three parties would cooperate hand in hand, which not only meets their individual needs for development, but satisfies their common aspirations of utilizing the agglomerative advantages to open up a win-win situation. He expected the Institute could be developed as a world-class research institute as well as a world-class cooperative institution integrating production, teaching and research.

With the international exchange of technology, seven institutions including five enterprises and two government departments, signed eight cooperative agreements with the Joint Research Institute.

After the exchange, Hu Wenping and Zhou Yuehua on behalf of Tianjin University and Nantong Hi-Tech Development Zone signed the Tianjin University-Nantong Joint Research Institute Cooperative Agreement to establish a joint research institute, laying a foundation for in-depth cooperation between Tianjin University and Nantong Hi-Tech Development Zone. Both sides agreed to focus on several areas including sustainable urban design and construction engineering center, new energy, advanced materials, and high-end equipment manufacturing to make multiple major breakthroughs and build international collaborative and innovative platforms for technology development and transformation, R & D public service, global technology transfer, collaboration among government, manufacturing, education and research, an incubation base for high-tech technology enterprises, high-end applied engineering development, and management talent training.