The scholarships will be means tested and awarded to students based on a number of criteria including academic achievement and income. Students will study on the unique integrated circuit (IC) training programme offered by UNNC in partnership with Sondrel.
Launched in 2013, the programme was the first partnership of its kind and trains the IC designers of the future in China. Integrated circuits are used in the semiconductor industry and are crucial in the manufacture of digital devices such as computers and mobile phones.
The programme was created after Sondrel identified a lack of IC designers in China with the skills the company needs to continue its rapid expansion. The course, which is also supported by Sondrel's partner company Mentor Graphics, plugs this talent gap and will improve China’s ability to compete globally in the IC design market.
To date, nearly 100 students have taken part and gone on to take up positions in Sondrel operations around the world.
Graham Curren, CEO of Sondrel, said: “We firmly believe in developing our new graduate talent and specifically wanted to find and train more young people for an international career in our offices around the world.
“Our working environment is multi-cultural and excellent communication skills coupled with cross-cultural awareness are vital for conducting business in global markets including China. These IC designers are set for an exciting career working in partnership with our clients in Europe, the US and China.”
Professor Chris Rudd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Engagement at The University of Nottingham, added: “I am delighted that Sondrel has agreed to provide a scholarship fund to support integrated circuit design students and a teaching fellow at UNNC. We have an excellent relationship with Sondrel and have worked together with them very successfully over the last couple of years on the programme at our Ningbo campus.
"This scholarship demonstrates their commitment to build on the success of the course and we look forward to working closely with them over the years ahead to train the next generation of integrated circuit designers.”
For more information on the student scholarships, as well as the teaching fellowship, please contact Wendy Ren.
Press information about UNNC is available from Tess Humphrys, communications and marketing officer, UNNC, on +86 574 8818 0940.