News Archive

The University of Western Australia today signed two memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, furthering the University's links with international collaborators as it aims to be counted among the world's top 50 universities by 2050.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which boasts more than 58,000 staff, was founded in 1949 and plays a major role in research, training, commercialisation and providing advice on science and technology policy.

One of the MOUs to be signed is with the CAS Institute of Microbiology.  The other will underpin the formation of the Australia-China Joint Centre for Biomass Utilisation Technology.

These agreements build on already-established ties.  Winthrop Professor Dongke Zhang, Director of UWA's Centre for Petroleum, Fuels and Energy, has a long history of collaboration with CAS in areas of clean energy and sustainable development.

UWA Premier's Fellows, Professor Peter Quinn and Professor Lister Staveley-Smith, have research links with Chinese colleagues working on the Square Kilometre Array and other large radio astronomy and telescope projects.

"Scholarship and education are the strengths of all civilised societies - attributes which have been well understood by the people of China for thousands of years," said UWA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Robson.

"They have been the basis of our University's commitment to Western Australia for almost a century.  It is upon this solid foundation that our University continues to look to ways of strengthening the understanding and opportunities between China and the many individuals, enterprises, communities and institutions in WA with links to China."

Media references

Professor Alan Robson (UWA Vice-Chancellor)  (+61 8)  6488 2809
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716