Recently, the Science Technology Department of Zhejiang Province released the "Notice on the Announcement of the 2022 Provincial-level International Science and Technology Cooperation Carrier Recognition List". Zhejiang - Canada Joint Laboratory on Green Chemicals and Energy was successfully listed as an international joint laboratory at the provincial level in 2022. The laboratory is led by Professor Tao Wu, Vice Provost for China Beacons Institute, Dean of Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), and Professor Jesse Zhu, Distinguished Professor at the University of Western Ontario Canada (UWO), Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
The Zhejiang - Canada Joint Laboratory on Green Chemicals and Energy (hereinafter referred to as the "the Joint Laboratory") is jointly built by UNNC in collaboration with researchers from UWO. It will be established at the Nottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute (hereinafter referred to as "CBI"). Combining the strengths of both universities, the Joint Laboratory will focus on three major research areas: innovative pharmaceutical formulation technology, green energy conversion and intensification technology in chemical engineering, and research and development of particulate materials, while setting up a results transformation centre and public analysis and testing platform to support the development of research outcomes. Associate Professor Yuanyuan Shao from Green Chemical and Energy Centre, CBI, and other academics are also involved in the construction of the laboratory.
The Joint Laboratory is jointly headed by Professor Wu and Professor Zhu, both of whom have extensive experience in international exchange and cooperation. The two universities have started academic exchanges since 2016. After 2020, Professor Zhu has been appointed as Honorary Professor and Honorary Director of CBI. In early 2022, a joint laboratory was established to support local industrial technological breakthroughs with international science and innovation resources.
Professor Wu said: “We hope to create an international joint laboratory to establish a world-class scientific ecosystem and technological innovation platform that builds on the uniqueness of the two universities. We hope it can attract more and more overseas top talent and resources to realise innovation and incubation in the field of green chemicals.”
In the future, the Joint Laboratory will explore in-depth research resources and cooperation at home and abroad in order to enrich its effectiveness.
CBI was jointly established by the Management Committee of Ningbo National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, UNNC, and Zhejiang Wanli Education Group, under the framework agreement signed between University of Nottingham and Ningbo Municipal Government in September 2020. In May 2021, UNNC launched the CBI. CBI leverages the unique “Ningbo-based and global-oriented” advantages of UNNC. By introducing the key international technological and innovative resources of the Beacons of Excellence from the UK, the intention is to attract global technology innovation resources. CBI focuses on three main research areas Intelligent Manufacturing, Green Chemicals and Energy, Life Science and Healthcare. In the past year, CBI has attracted top research talent and science and innovation resources from home and abroad. 39 laboratories have been built based on these three research areas.
Professor Tao Wu
Professor Tao Wu is the Vice Provost of UNNC and Dean of Faculty of Science and Engineering; a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
Professor Jesse Zhu
Professor Zhu is a Distinguished University Professor and Canada Research Chair at UWO. He is also a Fellow of Royal Society of Canada, a Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering and a Director of the CAE Board of Directors, President of Global Academy of Chinese Chemical Engineering Scholars.