The West Midlands' relationship with China is set to receive a
further boost following the landmark signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding between Coventry University and the Shanghai
Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).
The collaboration makes Coventry University the primary academic
partner of SAIC in the UK, and will see the two organisations work
together on a range of advanced engineering research and
development projects.
In particular, the projects will focus on technology development
and professional training, taking advantage of the University's
engineering and managerial expertise.
The announcement of the new strategic partnership comes days
after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, during a visit to the SAIC-owned
MG plant in Birmingham, spoke of 'brighter prospects' in the
relationship between China and the region.
Liu Xiaoming, Ambassador of China to the UK, highlighted the
business and education sectors as being areas where 'productive
cooperation' between the two nations could strengthen Sino-UK
relations further.
Coventry University and SAIC already collaborate on a number of
existing projects, including Knowledge Transfer Partnerships,
simulation work to help develop hybrid and electric vehicle
technologies, and a biomechanical analysis project to explore the
impact of car design on muscle strain.
The partnership will also allow the two organisations to
capitalise on funding opportunities - such as the collaborative
R&D grants offered by the Government's Technology Strategy
Board - to initiate new and innovative research programmes.
As part of the collaboration, students at Coventry University
will also have the opportunity to work on projects with SAIC, and
key members of SAIC's advanced engineering team will deliver guest
lectures to undergraduates.
Professor Madeleine Atkins, vice-chancellor of Coventry
University, said:
"This new collaboration represents an exciting development in
the relationship between Coventry University and the Shanghai
Automotive Industry Corporation at a time when relations between
the UK and China are going from strength to strength.
"We are delighted to help build on those links, and we look
forward to passing on the benefits of such a strong industrial
partnership to our students."
Tim Bailey, head of R&D at the SAIC Motor UK Technical
Centre (SMTC), said:
"The strategic partnership with Coventry University brings a
positive new dimension to SAIC Motor's technical operations in the
UK, reflecting China's increasing engagement with British
expertise, particularly in the West Midlands.
"At a time when new and emerging technologies are changing the
shape of the automotive industry, working with a leading research
and development institution such as Coventry University will help
give SMTC an edge in the global marketplace.
"In return we believe that SMTC can offer tremendous new
opportunities to Coventry University and its students."
Last year a team of MA Automotive Design students from the
University took part in an intensive ten week project at the SAIC
Motor UK Technical Centre (SMTC) at Longbridge, Birmingham, to
develop and propose an MG concept car for the year 2020.
The project was overseen by SAIC's global design director, Tony
Williams-Kenny, who graduated from Coventry University in 1998 with
an MA in Automotive Design and a BA (Hons) in Transport Design.
For more information about Coventry University, please visit
their website here: www.coventry.ac.uk