ERA builds new energy partnerships with Zhejiang

Building on the Midlands Engine – Science and Technology Department- Memorandum of Understanding, signed in Nottinghamshire by Midlands Engine Chairman, Sir John Peace in September 2019, we have now actively strengthened our connections with China.

Representatives from the UK’s Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) and the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Department met with government officials and businesses in Hangzhou, China, in order to establish new collaborations in renewable and low-carbon energy.

The Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) is a leading partnership of eight research-intensive universities from right across the Midlands region – Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Keele, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham and Warwick –  working together with the British Geological Survey. The partnerships aim is to develop new, low-carbon energy technologies and bring forward innovative solutions – with pace.

Speaking about the ERA visit to Zhejiang, Professor Martin Freer commented:

It is excellent news that the Energy Research Accelerator is building a new partnership with the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Department. I see tremendous opportunities from this relationship which will benefit both parties.

Within ERA we offer cutting-edge UK research expertise across a wide range of energy research areas, and I am sure that we can help many innovative businesses in Zhejiang to develop new green energy technologies. I would also like to thank Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Department for generously hosting us, they will be very warmly welcomed when they visit us in the UK in the future.

Mr Chuanjie Liao, Deputy Division Chief of Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Department, commented:

Not only is everything in the world dependent on energy, but it is also the source of the progress of human society. Zhejiang Province is seizing the opportunity to strengthen R&D in energy, and to promote energy technology and industrial innovation.

Research institutes and enterprises in the UK are one of the most popular partners in Zhejiang. The success of the University of Nottingham in Ningbo, and the cooperation of other British businesses reflect the enthusiasm and effectiveness of scientific and technological cooperation between China and the UK.

For more information about the Energy Research Accelerator, visit www.era.ac.uk or @EnergyRA.