[Image courtesy of www.nottingham.ac.uk]
The University of Nottingham has signed a memorandum of agreement to undertake research and development work with the Chinese soft-drinks company Wahaha.
Formed in 1987, Wahaha has 60 production bases in 29 provinces in China, employs 30,000 people and last year achieved a turnover in excess of £6.8 billion. The business has been the market leader in China’s beverage industry for the last 14 years.
Under the five-year agreement, The University of Nottingham and Wahaha will establish joint research centres to work in a number of areas, ranging from bioenergy technology to animal feed, food technologies, electrical motors, and robotics.
A variety of projects
The first stage of the collaboration will be the development of a jointly run Electrical Motor Research Institute in the city of Hangzhou, China, where Wahaha is based. This will be opened in the autumn and the intention is that this will be followed by a research centre in Nottingham in 2013.
The University will also provide training for Wahaha staff and further joint venture operations including research, training and advisory services will also be offered in China.
Mr Zong Qinghou, the Chairman and General Manager of Wahaha, who is also one of China’s most successful entrepreneurs, visited The University of Nottingham with a team of technical specialists from his organisation to explore ways in which the two organisations could work together.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Professor Chris Rudd, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Business Engagement and Knowledge Transfer at the University.
Speaking about the agreement with Wahaha, he said: “We are very excited about the collaboration with Wahaha. It is an outstanding business in the food and drink sector, and the University will work with the business to develop a pipeline of technologies that can be developed into products for the Chinese market.
"We will be working with Wahaha to develop a whole range of new technologies and to provide its staff with specialised training in a number of areas. The opening of the joint R&D centre in China will mark the start of our partnership and is just the first of a variety of projects we will work on together.”
A variety of projects
Speaking after the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement, Mr Zong commented: “The partnership with The University of Nottingham is very important for Wahaha. The new centre in Hangzhou will focus on the development of electrical motors and will also be a window to showcase the work of The University of Nottingham in Zhejiang province.
"I am sure that this will be a very successful partnership, because both Wahaha and The University of Nottingham work to the highest standards. It will benefit both parties because the University wants to build its reputation in China and our business, along with others in Zheijang province, needs the expertise and knowledge that the University can offer us.”
The University of Nottingham has secured partnerships and contracts with a number of Chinese businesses this year, through connections it has made via The University of Nottingham Ningbo China campus and the Asia Business Centre.
Collaborations via Asia Business Centre
Earlier this year, the University signed a research contract worth £3 million with the aerospace business ACAE and a further agreement worth £1 million with the automobile manufacturer FAW to investigate thermal management and heat transfer in low carbon vehicles.
In addition, a Sino-UK Geospatial Engineering Centre was also opened earlier this month on The University of Nottingham Innovation Park (UNIP).
For more information about The University of Nottingham’s services for business and the work of the Asia Business Centre, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/servicesforbusiness
For further details about Wahaha, visit http://en.wahaha.com.cn
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