The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) have forged a strategic partnership by jointly establishing a research collaboration fund and research units in diabetes genomics and medical robotics. Prof. Zhang Jie, President of SJTU, visited CUHK on 12 January to sign collaboration agreements with Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK. The two Presidents officiated at the inauguration ceremony of the CUHK-SJTU Joint Research Centre in Diabetes Genomics and Precision Medicine, the first of its kind in Asia.
It is the first time that CUHK has set up a joint research fund with a mainland institution. The newly established CUHK-SJTU Joint Research Collaboration Fund will promote and encourage the building and strengthening of research collaboration between the two institutions establishment in diabetes research, robotics, digestive disease, reproductive disease and big data, as well as related areas of complementary strengths. The Fund will pave the way for joint projects that support multilateral partnerships, expanding the depth of collaboration and providing greater opportunities for academic and student mobility with stronger ties.
The CUHK and SJTU diabetes research groups have been in productive collaboration and at the forefront of research in the genetic basis of diabetes and related complications. The CUHK-SJTU Joint Research Centre in Diabetes Genomics and Precision Medicine is the first of its kind in Asia, focusing its effort on diabetes genomics, translational research and precision medicine in diabetes. A Letter of Intent to set up a Joint Research Centre on Medical Robotics was also signed to promote collaborative research in medical robotics and accelerate the technology transfer for clinical applications. Prof. Sung said that this series of collaboration can forge new pathways for research and academic exchange to create synergetic growth and greater impact.
Since CUHK's establishment of partnership with SJTU in 1990, both universities have been involved in concerted efforts ranging from research collaboration and academic exchange to curriculum development and talent nurturing. Building on this solid foundation, the two universities established a Partnership Steering Committee in 2015, co-chaired by the two Presidents, to forge further collaboration in strategic areas. Details of the collaborative plans can be found in the University's press release here. 
