WIT News

Links between southeast Ireland and northeast China to be strengthened Posted: Thu, February 26, 2009

Stronger ties are to be forged between the southeast of Ireland and north-eastern China through Waterford Institute of Technology establishing closer links to several Chinese universities and research institutes.

With an increasingly well-educated population estimated at over 1.3 billion, 20 per cent of whom are aged 14 or under, China is recognised as an ever more important economic powerhouse.

Over 350 students from the country have pursued programmes at Waterford Institute of Technology since 2001. In addition, the Institute has partnerships with five Chinese universities covering the joint delivery of programmes and student transfers. Collaborative research links have also been created that see research teams in Waterford work closely with counterparts at Chinese universities.

In addition to weekly lectures delivered by satellite link, three computing lecturers from the Waterford Institute will travel to China shortly where they will deliver modules from the BSc in Applied Computing to 250 Waterford-registered students at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (www.nuist.edu.cn).
As part of a series of coordinated actions to strengthen the existing ties, Waterford Institute of Technology is to work more closely with Dalian University of Technology (www.dlut.edu.cn) on targeted areas including telecommunications software research. The opening of an office on the Dalian campus by the Waterford Institute is also to be explored.
The university is in the coastal city of Dalian in northeastern China’s Liaoning province. Strategically located within reach of Japan, South Korea and eastern Russia, Dalian is an international centre for finance and tourism and has 22 higher education institutions. The city is the first in China to receive the ‘Global 500’ award from the United Nations in recognition of its excellent living environment. Dalian is also China’s model city for international software and outsourcing and more than 30 multinationals have established software, research and development and outsourcing operations in Dalian.
Liaoning has the largest provincial economy in northeastern China with a nominal GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 2007 of US$145 billion. Leading industries include petrochemicals, metallurgy, electronics, telecommunications and machinery. Liaoning is a major producer of pig iron, steel and metal-cutting machine tools. The province is one of the most important raw materials production bases in China and an important location for equipment and machinery manufacturing. In addition, it is just a 60-minute flight from South Korea where Waterford Institute of Technology also has strong links.
Prof Huaiguo Fu who is currently attached to the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) in Waterford Institute of Technology is working with Dr Venie Martin, Head of Development to explore how further bridges can be built between the southeast of Ireland and the northeast of China where Prof Fu previously worked.

Commenting on the initiative, Prof Kieran R Byrne, Director, Waterford Institute of Technology said China represents a hugely important opportunity for Europe as a whole and Ireland in particular. “This Institute has had very positive experiences with Chinese students and academic partners over the last eight years or so and I know that many of those who came here from China to study act as informal ‘ambassadors’ for the Institute on graduation. China is a vast market and intelligence, ambition, work ethic and swift adoption of new technologies mark them out as an emerging global economic power. The particular focus in Dalian on software research and development means there are great synergies between that city and our own Telecommunications Software Systems Group (TSSG) which has captured well over €50m of public and private sector funding.

“Recognising China’s potential, IDA Ireland established an office in Shanghai in 2006. This bore early fruit last year with the announcement that SATIR, global leaders in infrared technology, are to establish their European headquarters in this country. Interestingly, that company’s chairman cited Ireland’s ability to meet their skills and infrastructure requirements as key factors in their decision. These are areas where Waterford and the southeast scores increasingly strongly and it is our intention that the growing ties between our regions should also help the southeast secure inward investment from companies in northeastern China seeking a strategic presence in the EU.”

For his part, Prof Fu said: “There are very exciting opportunities to collaborate across all levels and I see scope for links not only between this Institute and universities in northeastern China but also between businesses and communities in the two regions. There is also potential for tourism, sporting and cultural exchanges as we link across the continents. While our countries are very different in size, there is much that links our people and the experience of those students from China who have studied in Waterford bears this out. Just as in Ireland, relationships are very important to Chinese people in doing business and our work is all about forging relationships and bridge-building.”

Dr Martin added that the work being done by Waterford Institute of Technology in developing closer ties with China is consistent with the Government’s Asia Strategy. “It is a Government trade and investment priority to raise awareness of Ireland and its business potential abroad. The Government’s Asia Strategy seeks to promote Ireland as a preferred business partner and a world class location for investment, scientific research and development. Our efforts to more closely link the southeast of Ireland and northeastern China feed in to this wider effort.”