On the morning of Feb. 18, Li Zhaohu (President of HZAU), Yao Jianglin (Deputy Secretary of the School Party Committee and Vice President of HZAU), and Yan Jianbing (Vice President of HZAU) visited Syngenta Group China and attended a signing ceremony for the university-enterprise research projects. Ying Minjie (Vice President of Syngenta Group China) and Song Weibo (General Manager of Sinochem Seed Industry Innovation Center Co., Ltd) received the delegation.
The signing ceremony
At the signing ceremony, HZAU, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory and Syngenta Group China reached agreements on scientific and technological projects. In the next five years, Syngenta Group China will invest 50 million yuan to support HZAU and the rice and maize research teams of Hongshan Laboratory in tackling major problems.
During the meeting, Ying Minjie introduced the basic situation and five-year plan of Syngenta Group China. He reviewed the progress of cooperation with HZAU and Hongshan Laboratory in 2022, and put forward future key areas of cooperation with HZAU. Syngenta Group China attaches great importance to such cooperation and the “Syngenta-HZAU-Hongshan Laboratory Joint Innovation Fund” has been established to carry out innovation on fundamental disciplines, theoretical and organizational fronts. He hoped to further enhance personnel training, saying that “talent is the key to turning ideas and resources into reality”.
Li Zhaohu introduced the progress of building strategic scientific and technological strength, including the Hongshan Laboratory and State Key Laboratory. He stated that first, cooperation should be further promoted. As President Xi said, “China’s food security can only be safeguarded when seed resources are firmly held in our own hands”, the seed industry plays a key role in agricultural industry. As HZAU and Syngenta Group China shoulder the national mission of revitalizing the seed industry, the two should cooperate and give full play to national strategic scientific and technological strength to promote original and leading innovation in the seed industry with organized scientific research.
Second, we should further innovate a coordinated development mechanism that integrates science and technology, talents and education. In order to offer solutions for challenges, HZAU will mobilize all resources to actively integrate into Syngenta’s development, such as seed industry innovation and rural vitalization, to contribute to the bigger and stronger seed industry of China.
Third, we should actively push the projects forward. Projects should be leveraged to achieve the expected results. It is necessary to consolidate the resources of both, and strengthen the organization, application, and management of projects at all levels. Fourth, centering on talent cultivation, we will explore new models of university-enterprise cooperation. Through these new models, HZAU can provide talents that meet the needs of leading enterprises represented by Syngenta and inject a steady stream of power into their development.
Li Zhaohu and his team visit the laboratory of Beijing Innovation Center of Syngenta Group.
Li Zhaohu and his delegation also visited the Syngenta Innovation Center in Beijing before the meeting.
The heads and teacher representatives of Academy of Science and Technology Development, College of Plant Sciences & Technology, College of Animal Sciences & Technology and College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences participated in the event.
Source: http://news.hzau.edu.cn/2023/0221/65643.shtml
Translated by: Zhang Qiongfang
Supervised by: Xie Lujie
