China Tomorrow: Building Innovation Links between the UK and China

Organised by the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), with the support of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills Global Partnership Programme and Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), the ‘China Tomorrow’ will aid more UK and Chinese organisations to work together on a wide range of innovation & technology project.

The aim of the initiative is to develop & grow profitable, sustainable business for the economic benefit of both countries by facilitating exchanges on technology transfer and co-operation.

In the last year alone, UK has seen some outstanding results delivered across a variety of areas such as:

• Automotive Industry:
Convincing The Chinese automotive giant SAIC that Longbridge (annual budget £36million) is the best location for its new Technical Centre.

• Biotechnology:
Introducing Chinese biotech company Xiangxue to a leading UK heart disease scientist, which led to a £50,000 in research at King’s College.

China Tomorrow seeks to further these successes through increasing communication and co-operation on technology transfer between UK and China regions.

The initiative was formally announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the UK-China Business Summit with China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao, in London on 2nd February 2009 and launched in March. China Tomorrow provides advice to enterprises and research organisations seeking to enter the China research market, and how to ensure effective technology transfer and IPR protection.

The programme continues to operate highly rewarding follow-on regional events. These events share knowledge regarding best practices on collaborative working, shared experiences on cross-cultural issues, and ways to find partners and IPR considerations.

The China Tomorrow Programme aims to:

• Raise interest in the variety and number of opportunities available for technology transfer.
• Increase awareness on how to collaborate successfully on technology development / technology transfer and innovation – for example, by showcasing existing collaborations.
• Increase the capabilities of UK companies to work jointly with Chinese partners.

The first events were held in the East Midlands, sponsored by East Midlands Development Agency and supported by the East Midlands China Business Bureau and in Wales, sponsored by Technium, International Business Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government.  These contained high quality presentations from senior speakers sharing their ‘on the ground’ experience from across China, including the Science and Technology Commission representatives, the High-Tech Incubation Centre, as well as from the Intellectual Property Bureau of Chongqing.

The next missions are planned from Guangzhou in October 2009 followed by Shanghai in early 2010.

This is an ongoing programme and there are more events planned for the future, both across UK regions and in China. If you would like to know more, or how to get involved in the events, please follow this link: www.chinatomorrow.co.uk