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EAST-WEST ALLIANCE OF WORLD-LEADING RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES MARKS FIRST MILESTONE

03 Apr 2006

 

A newly-formed East-West Alliance of biomedical experts identified four key areas of strategic partnership at its first planning meeting for an international network of leading Asian and Western medical research faculties.

The alliance resolved to focus on four common strengths to develop a strategic partnership:

1. Cancer and stem cell
2. Infection and immunology
3. Aging and imaging
4. Knowledge transfer and translation

The alliance's planning meeting, held in Hong Kong yesterday and today under the initiative of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, started work on its plans for a ground-breaking international conference on biomedical sciences at HKU in April 2007.

The international conference, which is expected to capture the attention of the world's scientific and medical communities, will aim at tackling the health threats posed by aging populations and global pandemics.

Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong said, "The partnership comprises a selected group of research-intensive universities that share similar values, a global vision and a commitment to academic excellence. This Alliance brings new opportunities for research collaboration, exchange of latest technologies and know-hows, and exploration of new biomedical frontiers together."

Professor Fiona Watt, Deputy Director of the Cancer Research-UK Cambridge Research Institute, said, "This is a good opportunity to work with the University of Hong Kong and the other institutes to foster meaningful collaboration. While each institute has their own unique niche and area of excellence, the Alliance will multiply their power for the eventual benefit of all mankind."

Ms Julia Hsiao, Assistant Vice-Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley, expressed optimism about the benefits of harnessing so much expertise. "The East-West Alliance allows all of the partner institutions to access a greater pool of bio-medical institutes which is a very unique feature of this alliance and we can complement the strength of individual clinical programmes. We look forward to developing synergies through this alliance and delivering high impact results."

Professor SK Lam, Dean of HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine said: "We are proud to host this milestone meeting of well-regarded global partners in research and education. As leading institutions in different parts of the world, we feel obliged to take the lead in this collaboration that needs to be undertaken for the benefit of the world. Our collaboration will be deep, broad and relevant to the big health issues facing mankind at this moment, transcending geographical and cultural barriers. To benefit our students and faculties, the East-West Alliance will foster inter-institutional student exchange and visiting professorships in niche courses. A steering committee will be set up to oversee the collaborative programmes."

The four renowned research-led universities that formed the alliance - University of California, Berkeley, University of Cambridge, University of Toronto and The University of Hong Kong - have all been supported by the Li Ka Shing Foundation. They reckoned that this common factor and relationship have created for them a new platform for inter-exchange.

The Alliance will facilitate its first scientific conference on biomedical sciences in April 2007 which will be an important celebratory event of the Faculty's 120th anniversary. Each institution will also explore the possibility of hosting an international conference on a topic relevant to the alliance's core areas of expertise on rotation.

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