Media

HKU and Shanghai Jiao Tong University form strategic partnership
to bring new medicine to the public

15 Jan 2017

HKU President Professor Peter Mathieson and Shanghai Jiao Tong University President Professor Zhang Jie 

The President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Professor Peter Mathieson and the President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) Professor Zhang Jie signed a strategic partnership agreement on January 12 (Thursday) to establish a joint fund to support emerging areas of collaboration.

“HKU and SJTU are both members of the C9+3HK university alliance. This partnership funding scheme is another example of HKU's real commitment to strengthening ties with top universities in the Mainland,” said Professor Mathieson.

This collaboration is the result of many active discussions that started in April 2016 when President Mathieson led a large University delegation represented by all 10 Faculties to visit SJTU. Both institutions have a remarkable complementarity in several areas of research strength. This strategic partnership will advance research and education in many areas including drug discovery and development.

An integral part of this partnership is the establishment of the HKU – SJTU Consortium on Translational Medicine. The Consortium serves as a platform where distinct strengths of each Institution can be synergised and coordinated along the drug discovery and development continuum: from basic research to development to pre-clinical and clinical studies. The Consortium provides a platform to convene a wider range of stakeholders and expertise. Already Hong Kong Science and Technology Park has committed to offer support to the development of the Consortium.

“The Consortium is a nexus bringing together HKU and Mainland talents, public agencies, and industry to advance biomedicine in serving the public, and to kick it off we are holding a public Education Workshop on February 15. HKU collaboration with Mainland partners benefits us all,” said Professor W. John Kao, Vice-President and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Global). 

For more information on the Workshop, visit http://www.global.hku.hk/dddworkshop.

For media enquiries, please contact: Ms Melanie Wan, Communications and Public Affairs Office, HKU (tel: 2859 2600; Email: melwkwan@hku.hk).