Shanghai, Tsinghua in cooperation pact

The Shanghai government has signed an agreement with Tsinghua University to cooperate on fostering science and technology talent and the establishment of an international innovation center.

According to the agreement signed on Monday in Beijing, the city and the university will give full play to their respective strength to jointly build the Shanghai-Tsinghua International Innovation Center. The two parties will focus on scientific and technological innovation, transferring research achievements onto applications, international cooperation, a think-tank research and talent cultivation.

They will join hands in setting up platforms for scientific research and technology transfer, a database of scientific innovation resources and industries and high-level international cooperation networks.

They will enhance cooperation on policymaking over the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region and in attracting and cultivating talent to serve the city’s efforts in building a global center for science and technology innovation. 

Shanghai’s Party Secretary Li Qiang said the city’s development needs knowledge contributions and intelligence support from higher-education institutions like Tsinghua. He said the two sides should focus their strength on key areas such as space technology, integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and trusted transaction to speed up development of strategic technologies and products to achieve great-leap-forward development.

Qiu Yong, president of Tsinghua University, said he hoped the Shanghai-Tsinghua International Innovation Center will become a new platform of global influence and make greater contribution to facilitating the establishment of a regional innovation system in the Yangtze River Delta region and building Tsinghua into a first-class university in the world.