Chinese investment in Cardiff University’s biomedical research

Cardiff University is joining forces with a major Chinese biomedical service provider to explore key biomedical and clinical research opportunities.

Realcan, which operates primarily in China, will provide funding of £1m to Cardiff University over a three-year period. The collaboration will focus on Cardiff University College of Biomedical & Life Sciences key research themes: cancer; integrative biosystems; mind, brain and neuroscience; immunology, infection and inflammation; and population health. The £1m investment will provide funding for Realcan PhD students to partner with the University’s leading clinicians and biomedical scientists, and Realcan research fellows.

The University has around 40 partnerships across China including major collaborations with Peking University and Beijing Friendship Hospital (Capital Medical University) as part of the Cardiff China Medical Research Collaborative (CCMRC), which focuses on oncology research. The backbone of CCMRC is the University Joint Cancer Institute where Cardiff University and Peking University have worked together since 1999 researching the cause, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Speaking about the agreement, Cardiff University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Colin Riordan, said: “Our links with China are strong and I am delighted that we have the opportunity to further develop our already successful research partnerships in the country. Realcan shares our vision for world leading research to tackle pressing global health challenges. The investment will also enable us to invest in the brightest and best postgraduate researchers.”

Professor Wen G Jiang MBE, a leading researcher from Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, said: “Cardiff University’s Medical School, part of our College of Biomedical & Life Sciences, is involved in cutting edge science and world class research in the field of medicine that has a real impact on people’s lives. We have established many successful collaborations with China and our latest partnership offers further exciting opportunities for biomedical and clinical research with experts in Chinese universities. We are very grateful to Realcan for this significant investment.”

Mr Xu Han, Chairman of RealCan, said: “We are highly impressed with the biomedical and clinical work that is carried out at Cardiff University, one of the world leaders in this type of research. The world faces many health challenges and it is only through working closely together across countries and continents that we can make a real difference to people’s lives.”

The agreement has received wide praise both in China and the UK with  Mr Yongli Wang, Minister Counsellor for Education at the Chinese Embassy in London, saying: “China has a long record of working with institutions in Wales, and indeed the whole of the United Kingdom, and we warmly welcome this agreement between Cardiff University and one of our most successful companies.” Mr Kevin Holland, the Minister-Counsellor and Director for Life Sciences, Health and Social Care, at the British Embassy in Beijing, said: “I am very pleased to see the developing relationship between Realcan and Cardiff University and their research partnership programme. We fully support their goals to discover new medicines and therapies which access the best of British science to improve the lives of patients in both UK and China.”