Ulster University will join a range of local businesses and higher education institutions for the Dalian Leaders Summit, facilitated by the NI Bureau which runs from 15th-17th October.
The four-strong Ulster University delegation will be in Dalian, to further develop educational relationships and engage in an extensive knowledge transfer programme of the latest research and technologies in healthcare, engineering, stratified medicine and green and innovative SME’s.
The visit, is the latest in an ongoing programme of engagement with Chinese government and policymakers organised by the Global Engagement team who have lined up meetings with government officials and policymakers at provincial, regional and municipal councils in economic development, trade, education, and research.
Pro Vice Chancellor of Global Engagement Professor Ian Montgomery commented;
“We are joining the NI Bureau and partners from industry to showcase the strength of business and educational resources in Northern Ireland which will provide a springboard for collaboration and explore growth opportunities with key government officials in Dalian. Using the influence of our award winning Confucius Institute we will share knowledge on Ulster University’s key areas of expertise, bringing together the best and brightest minds, nurturing innovative thinking and industry leading technology to make an impact globally.”
The theme of this year’s Summit is “Together Creating the Golden Era with a Global Vision” with an objective to foster China-UK local co-operation.
Professor Jim McLaughlin’s knowledge exchange will delve into the capability of NIBEC, successful innovative platforms that have led to spin outs and will link with Dalian’s interest in care of the elderly to highlight Ulster University’s industry ready approaches to Ambient Assisted Living, the use of smart wearable technology for continuous monitoring to smart systems that allow for predictive and accurate decision making. Showcasing how various diagnosis and treatment applications in the areas of Homecare Assisted living, Point of Care Diagnosis, Vital Signs monitoring and Healthcare technology systems and platforms relate to elderly in hospitals, care homes and developing countries.
Professor Jackie McCoy’s knowledge exchange will focus on the role of Higher Education in driving Regional Economies and promoting international exchanges.
Professor Neill Hewitt’s knowledge exchange will address energy storage as China is a leading manufacturer of batteries and a leading deplorer of renewable energy such as wind. Delving into the use of innovation in managing existing energy networks in light of emerging decarbonisation goals associated with the electrification of transport and space heating will be presented.
Based in North East China, the City of Dalian is a global financial centre with a population of over 6.5million. The city specialises in the Financial and IT sectors, and is home to some of the major players in these industries including Oracle, IBM and CISCO the delegation will hear more about their developments in the software industry, bio-medicine, digitalisation, marine engineering and advanced manufacturing.
This visit to Dalian builds upon an existing 15-year partnership between Ulster University and Dongbei University of Finance and Economics that will have enabled more than 200 Chinese students to complete part of their degree in Northern Ireland.
Along with the Mayor of Derry and Strabane District Council, Councillor John Boyle, Senior Ulster University Lecturer Dr Shu-Dong Zhang will join the North West delegation to strengthen links with Dalian and to present cutting edge research on biomarker discoveries for stratified medicine in several disease areas, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, motor neurone disease, mental health, and cancer.
To follow the Ulster University visit to the Dalian Leaders Summit search the hashtag #UlsterUniChina