University alliance cooperates with Weihai in tech innovation

On July 2, an alliance of 12 Beijing universities signed a cooperation agreement with the Weihai municipal government at the Weihai campus of the Beijing Jiaotong University to build a technological innovation center.

Beijing Jiaotong University and Durabley, a new-energy vehicle company in Shandong province, sign a cooperation agreement in Weihai, North China's Shangdong province on July 2.[Photo provided to China Daily]

According to the agreement, the alliance will strengthen cooperation with East Shandong's Weihai city in developing different areas, including marine science and technology, energy saving, environmental protection, smart equipment, new materials, fine chemical engineering, medicine, biological technology, new energy, electronic information, big data and the Internet, to create favorable conditions to attract universities to set up sub-campus and institutions in the city.

Both sides plan to establish the systems for technological research, development and talent training, with a Beijing Tech-Weihai technology center to transform scientific achievements into business benefits. The Beijing Tech-Weihai innovation center will cover 150,000 square meters, is set to begin construction in the second half of 2016 and will be completed before the end of next year.

The university alliance consists of the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, the Beijing Jiaotong University, the University of Science and Technology Beijing, the Beijing Forest University, the Beijing University of Posts and Communications, the Harbin Engineering University, the North China Electric Power University, the Xidian University, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), the China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), the China University of Petroleum (Beijing), and Yanshan University.

Weihai's Nanhai New Area, where the innovation center will be located, is a national strategic marine economy aiming to develop modern technological industries and boost scientific and technological innovation. Many universities have already established campuses and institutions there.