Tsinghua, Pitt join hands to commercialize technology
Tsinghua University and the University of Pittsburgh have signed an agreement intended to spur collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches to research and commercialization, as well as to support innovation and entrepreneurship activities at both universities.
The new Innovation Institute partnership is Tsinghua’s second significant engagement with Pitt.
"We will cooperate in building a foundation in Pittsburgh for the internationalization of homegrown Chinese enterprises and supporting the Pittsburgh economy," said Qinxian Jin, vice secretary-general and dean of the Office of Technology Transfer at Tsinghua.
The dean added: “It’s promising that not only can students and faculties from both universities innovate and build successful startups and produce collaborative research, but also Tsinghua will provide Pitt with access to the market, government, and enterprise resources in China, thus accelerating the technology-transfer process and increasing the efficiency of commercialization and strengthen Sino-U.S. cooperation in the industrial sector.”
The new Innovation Institute will provide a comprehensive suite of services, from the patenting of intellectual property to the commercialization of new discoveries through licensing and/or new enterprise development.
It also provides a wealth of educational programming, mentoring, and networking for Pitt faculty, students, and partners, as well as for entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout Western Pennsylvania.
At Pitt, Marc Malandro, founding director of the Innovation Institute, commented: “We look forward to working with Tsinghua to advance the commercialization of technologies on a global scale that will address many of society’s biggest challenges.”
"The new Tsinghua relationship complements Pitt’s already-strong presence in China and Asia,” noted Asian Studies Center Acting Director James Cook. “It is another sign of our success in becoming a truly global center of learning and invention."
The agreement arranges a framework of collaboration with activities including:
The two universities will plan technology showcases semi-annually in Beijing for Chinese strategic and financial partners to assess innovations emerging from both organizations.
Both universities will examine opportunities for commercializing innovations in each other's regions.
The two parties will facilitate faculty, student, and staff participation in business-plan competitions and other innovation/entrepreneurship events held at the partner institution.
The University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute will provide at Tsinghua seminars on its Pitt Ventures innovation-commercialization approach and related topics.
The University of Pittsburgh, established in 1787 in Pennsylvania, comprises 16 schools and one honors college, with top faculties in sciences, business, art, education, engineering, law, medicine, etc. More than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students enroll in this highly renowned ‘public ivy’ University.
In 2011, Tsinghua began a partnership in education and research with the Pitt School of Medicine, which introduces medical and graduate students to Pitt for two years of training in biochemical research. More than 50 students have completed the exchange program and returned to continue their medical education.
