During the meeting, Vice President Yuan Yufeng warmly welcomed the delegation of UKRI and BCG Wuhan and provided a brief overview of the university’s general situation, technological development, exchanges with the UK, and the connections of the scholars present with the UK. He stated that Wuhan University has been actively promoting high-quality international cooperation and maintains in-depth cooperative relations with 24 British universities. He also shared his personal experiences and gains from a recent visit to the UK, expressing the high regard and expectations for cooperation with the UK.
Director Daniel Brooker and Consul General Dominic McAllister thanked the university for its warm reception and briefly introduced the UKRI’s profile, funding for Sino-British scientific research, and the efforts made by BCG in promoting Sino-British cooperation, expressing a strong desire to promote cooperation between WHU and the UK in related fields. They look forward to witnessing fruitful outcomes in exchanges and cooperation, especially in scientific research, between the UK and Wuhan University in the near future.
Deputy Director Du Wenqi of the Office of Science Research and Development at WHU introduced the university’s policies on international scientific research projects, application channels, and the approval status of Sino-British scientific cooperation projects. He also discussed the future direction and fields of Sino-British scientific cooperation. Professors from the relevant colleges engaged in in-depth discussions and exchanges on UKRI’s project funding policies, funding intensity, and how to improve the chances and skills of project approval.
Professors representing the Economics and Management School, School of Journalism and Communication, School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, and Research Institute of Environmental Law, as well as heads of the Office of the International Affairs and Office of Science Research and Development at WHU, attended the meeting.
It is reported that UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the largest public funding body for research and innovation in the UK, integrating nine councils covering all sectors and disciplines, and acting as an “intelligent connector” for cooperation with academia, business, the public sector, third parties, and international partners. UKRI has an annual budget of over nine billion pounds and has three international offices worldwide, including China. Over the next five years, UKRI’s five strategic core themes are ‘Building a Green Future,’ ‘Ensuring Better Health, Aging, and Well-being,’ ‘Eradicating Infections,’ ‘Building a Safe and Resilient World,’ and ‘Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes.’ Over the past decade, UKRI has funded five scientific research projects at our university with over 1.14 million pounds, covering areas such as environmental and climate change, politics and trade, manufacturing, urbanization and infrastructure construction, and basic sciences.
Rewritten by Zhang Qingwei;
Photographed by Yu Yingxi;
Edited by Zhao Jifan
