A new joint venture in China for The University of Nottingham

Primary areas for collaboration at the Academy will be in the fields of life sciences, green technology, aerospace, and global food security — all of which are key strengths of The University of Nottingham and the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST).

These subject areas will complement what is offered at the flourishing Nottingham campus in Ningbo, in nearby Zhejiang province, which was established in 2004 and now has more than 5,500 students.

Unique strengths

The SNAA aims to be a world leader in collaboration by drawing on the unique strengths of the two universities and their industrial and government partners. The local government partner is Fengxian District in Shanghai.

Professor Hai-Sui Yu, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Campuses at The University of Nottingham (pictured above), said: “Our vision for the Academy is to develop an international hub of higher education, research, training and business engagement of the highest quality in science and technology through dynamic partnerships between universities, industries, and government organisations.

“At the Academy, future generations of industry and academic leaders will undertake unique undergraduate and postgraduate courses and doctoral training within a research-led and industry-focussed environment.

“We are confident that the Shanghai Nottingham Advanced Academy will establish a long term partnership between the leading UK and Chinese Universities and industry, and provide a major platform for international collaborative research and knowledge transfer activities, particularly between the UK and China.”

Joint courses

The Academy will be a physical entity within ECUST to jointly deliver courses and training that will form part of degree programmes at both Nottingham and ECUST.

Undergraduates will study for two years at ECUST, one year at the Academy, and take their final year at The University of Nottingham in the UK. Postgraduates will study for the first year at ECUST, the second year at The University of Nottingham in the UK, and take their final year at the Academy to obtain dual Master degrees from both Universities.

At doctoral level, 30 PhD students will be recruited over the next three years to focus on key research in life sciences, green technology, aerospace, and global food security.

The development of the Academy will proceed in two stages.

During the first stage, to commence in Autumn 2013, students will be able to undertake dual undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes from The University of Nottingham and ECUST. To complete their degree programmes, students at the Academy will also spend a significant period of time studying at both institutions.

In this way, the students will be able to benefit fully from the unique teaching and learning environments and strengths of both universities.

Future research leaders

An International Doctoral Innovation Centre will also be established at the Academy, where future leaders of research innovation and business engagement are trained. Over the next three years, 30 of the brightest PhD students will be recruited and trained at this Doctoral Innovation Centre under the joint supervision of research leaders from both partner universities and leading practitioners from industry.

The unique PhD programmes at the Academy will integrate both innovation-led research and doctoral training which will be combined with exposure to industry and entrepreneurship on an international scale.

During the second stage, the two universities will work closely with the Fengxian District Government and industry partners to establish an R&D innovation park in Fengxian.

This innovation park — the International Translational Research and Business Engagement Centre — will work to commercialise some of the fundamental discoveries produced from the International Doctorial Innovation Centre.

The official launch event for the Shanghai Nottingham Advanced Academy takes place at ECUST on November 5th. ECUST is a strong teaching and research university that has a large new campus in the Fengxian district of Shanghai, south-eastern China.

The University of Nottingham is a pioneer in international education. It has 42,000 students across its three award-winning international campuses in the UK, Malaysia and China. The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) opened its doors in 2004 and now has more than 5,500 students.

— Ends —

PICTURED ABOVE: Professor Hai-Sui Yu, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Campuses, University of Nottingham. Professor Yu was speaking at the official launch of the Shanghai Nottingham Advanced Academy, in Shanghai on November 5th 2012.

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has 40,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘the world’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking 2011.

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2011, for its research into global food security.

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fund-raising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news