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The University of Nottingham, through its campus in Ningbo, China (UNNC), is helping to boost China’s marine economy, by signing a £25million agreement to create an International Academy for Marine Economy and Technology (IAMET).
A cooperative agreement has been signed between The University of Nottingham, UK, UNNC, the Ningbo Municipal Government, and Wanli Education Group (WEG) to create the IAMET at the University’s China campus.
The IAMET will be a purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility located at UNNC. It will be established to foster new collaborations with industry. The Academy will have a dedicated team of international academic leaders and research and business engagement staff, drawing on the input and advice of independent world-leading academic and industry experts to deliver innovative and internationally competitive programmes
Economic area for growth
The marine economy is one of China’s key strategic development areas. It will be the next key economic growth area for the country with an annual growth rate of 13.5 per cent since 2001. In 2011, the gross production of marine-related industries was 4.56 trillion Yuan, which accounts for around 10 per cent of GDP, and this is expected to reach 15 per cent in 2015.
The Academy will establish a Research Innovation Centre and a Knowledge Transfer Hub to focus on a ground-breaking approach to delivering applied marine economy research, nurturing high-end talent, and providing innovative knowledge exchange programmes in partnership with global, national and local industries. In the future, it is also hoped the Academy will help establish ‘spin-out’ companies in Ningbo to help drive the city’s technology transfer agenda in the field of marine economy.
Platform for research
The four key themes of the Academy will be: advanced materials; port services and logistics; marine products; and sustainable marine environmental management. For all these key areas, The University of Nottingham will draw on its world-class research and knowledge transfer records and global research and business engagement networks.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Hai-Sui Yu, who chairs The University of Nottingham’s Taskforce on Marine Economy and signed the cooperative agreement on behalf of the University, said: “I am very pleased to be signing this major agreement for establishing the International Academy for the Marine Economy and Technology (IAMET) at UNNC. This Academy will provide a major platform for research, knowledge exchange and commercialisation activities not just for UNNC but also for The University of Nottingham more generally.
“This is a major initiative that will be led from UNNC but supported and contributed by The University of Nottingham in the UK and in Malaysia. Ningbo provides an ideal environment and location for establishing and developing the IAMET because of its strong port and shipping industry, rich marine resources, clear international strategies, and its strong scientific research and education base.
“The University of Nottingham, through its campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia, will use its research and knowledge exchange strengths to support the Academy in achieving the Ningbo Municipal Government’s key priorities, and boost Ningbo’s reputation as a leading city in the development of the marine economy.”
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
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 aims 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 for its research into global food security.
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