Uni signs MoU with Shanghai Jiao Tong University

The Memorandum of Understanding will form strong links between the two universities in the field of precision metrology

THE University of Huddersfield’s vision was to transform the UK’s manufacturing performance by delivering significant improvements in the speed, accuracy and cost of measurement with the development of its £40 million specialist metrology centre. 

Now, one of the top Chinese universities views this as excellent practice in the field of metrology – the science of measurement – and are looking to build a China-UK collaborative smart metrology centre in China.

Senior delegates from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), including its Vice-President Professor Xi LiFeng, paid a fact-finding visit to the EPSRC Future Metrology Hub, located in the University of Huddersfield’s Centre for Precision Technologies, and met its Director and Professor of Precision Metrology, Dame Xiangqian (Jane) Jiang. 

Professor Jiang has a global reputation in metrology and her contribution to British-based engineering and advanced manufacturing is renowned. 

During the visit, the University of Huddersfield’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bob Cryan, signed a memorandum of understanding with STJU’s Vice-President Professor Xi.

The memorandum laid a grounding for future international co-operation in scientific research and exchange programmes for students and teachers to take place between the two institutions in the field of metrology.  Also planned in the near future is a visit to SJTU by Professor Cryan and the University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor, International, Professor Dave Taylor.

Professor Xi expressed his university’s keen interest in building a collaborative centre in Shanghai with the EPSRC Future Metrology Hub.

“The Future Metrology Hub is a leading research centre in metrology whose expertise is well recognised in academia and industry.

“Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with its strengths in engineering, is looking forward to complementing research interests and strengths with the University of Huddersfield’s Future Metrology Hub to build a world-class metrology centre in Shanghai to serve the manufacturing industry in China and UK.”

According to the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities, SJTU is 29^th in the world for engineering whilst also being one of China’s top research-oriented institutions and the University of Huddersfield was honoured to welcome their visitors to the campus.

The Future Metrology Hub’s Director of Operations is Mr Simon McKenna who said the visit was a great success and there was plenty of scope for further collaboration between the two universities.

“The SJTU team share many of our research interests and goals around smart and digital manufacturing and, like us, are committed to turning high quality research into practical industrial applications.  We talked about a number of opportunities to work together in the future and will be developing these plans over the coming months,” he said.

Included in the Chinese SJTU party were (in alphabetical order): Head of International Partnerships, Global Affairs, Ms Xu Jun; Director of Institute of Intelligent Manufacturing and Information Engineering Professor Xi JunTong; Professor of the Institute of Manufacturing Technology and Equipment Automation, Professor Yao ZhenQiang; the Vice-Director of the Institute of Robotics Professor LiMin Zhu; Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering Dr MingJun Ren; and PhD Mechanical Engineering student Xiao Yang.