The University of Cambridge and Tsinghua University signed a joint research initiative on Monday as part of efforts by both universities to tackle the urgent challenges faced by humanity.

We are delighted to enter into this joint research initiative with Tsinghua University

Cambridge Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Eilis Ferran

Climate change, food security, chronic disease and other global challenges all require the kind of scientific advances that can only be vastly accelerated by combining the research capacity and intellectual power of global research universities.

Tsinghua and Cambridge have a long history of collaboration in the United Kingdom and China. This new strategic research agreement will deepen our relationship and help us scale up our efforts to address real global issues.

Tsinghua created a £200 million Bio-Innovation centre at the Trinity College-owned Cambridge Science Park last year. The University of Cambridge and Tsinghua have shared an engineering forum since 2013 and there are many other active academic research collaborations in areas such as advanced materials, nuclear engineering or energy and climate policy.

"By focusing on the grand challenges faced by our global communities, such as climate change and emerging technologies, I believe our collaboration will be a powerful engine to drive the academic fusion and synergetic developments between China and UK, as well as with global academic communities,” Tsinghua University Vice-President of Research Professor You Zheng said.

The University of Cambridge is dedicated to seeking out collaborations wherever they offer the prospect of bolstering its mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. 

“We are delighted to enter into this joint research initiative with Tsinghua University which will provide increased momentum to the many existing collaborations between academics at the two universities and provide a framework for setting up new research collaborations in areas of mutual interest,” University of Cambridge Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional and International Relations Professor Eilis Ferran said.

Summer 2021 update: Call for proposals 2012/22

With COP26 taking place in Glasgow on 31 Oct – 12 Nov 2021, this initiative is issuing a call to fund collaborative projects that address the challenges relating to the climate emergency and the transition to a zero-carbon future. The initiative intends to fund around 10 projects for a project duration of not more than 12 months. The deadline for submissions is Friday 5 November 2021.

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