Chinese senior businessman seeking direct partnership with British University

Chinese businessman started to work with the UK universities directly to create high technology companies. A recent visit by Mr. Weiguo Wang, the Chair of Hanxin Capital to University of East Anglia(UEA) has exploredopportunities with great potential impact.

Mr. Wang’s visit wasaccompanied by Mr. ChengfengZai, the President of the British Chinese Entrepreneurs Association. They were first welcomed by Prof. Neil Ward, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of UEA. They discussed the opportunitiesrelating to the university’s newly built Enterprise Centre, and the incubator spaces for the students within the Centre. In a separate discussion with Prof. Raphael Markellos, who is the Director of Research of the School, Mr. Wang explored the opportunityrelating to a newly designed degree programme, i.e., MSc in Enterprise and Business Creation, which aims to teach the students about how to start a real business. Mr. Wang hopes to help commercialize some early stage technologies, in the meantime, help some students to start their entrepreneurial careers.

What also interested Mr Wang significantly was the University’s ADAPT Group, which aims to support the university’s technology transfer and industry related activities. Dr. John French, the CEO of the Group, introduced the group’s 50 million GBP venture capital fund focus on low carbon and the environmental related technologies, as well as the recycling system techniques. As he mentioned, those environmental technologies would create big impacts in China, and he would like to try his best in improving China’s environment issues.

Mr. Weiguo Wang, and his business partner, Mr. Chaoyong Wang, bought 10% of Aston Martin in 2013, means they started to look at the UK business opportunities. Prior to this, their company, China Equity, has successfully invested Baidu, Sohu, and 70 more other highly influential companies. He shared his rich experience in the end of his visit with more than 40 UEA students.

University and industry partnerships are playing a gradually important role for the innovation collaboration between China and the UK. The collaboration between Hanxin Capital and University of East Anglia would possibly establish a pioneer model. Mr. Wang ‘s visit was arranged by Dr. Yu Xiong, a senior lecturer of Norwich Business School, and also a director of the ADAPT Commercial Ltd. He said: “To explore the effective model between a UK university and a Chinese company is a challenge, but this is something we have to try, so that the UK’s technology could be coupled with Chinese market, and achieve a big win-win.” Dr. Yu Xiong also play an important role for China UK Innovation at a national level, he is one of the five core members in the China Innovation Expert Group within the UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.