Chinese investment helps ANU develop new electronic devices

China’s Guangdong Fenghua Advanced Technology Company will invest $1.75m in the Australian National University (ANU) over the next five years to develop the next generation of small electronic devices.

The Chinese electronic device manufacturer’s investment will fund the ANU-Fenghua Joint Research and Development Centre. The research from this centre will be used in various small device applications.

The ANU-Fenghua Joint Research and Development Centre will be based at the Research School of Chemistry and be headed by Professor Yun Liu. It will develop materials for use in small electronic devices.

Acting ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington said the centre represents the university’s commitment to cutting-edge research and its ability to work with industry to get research into the hands of the world’s consumers.

ANU has memorandums of understanding, student exchange agreements and cooperative agreements with a total of 45 Chinese institutions. Furthermore, over 3000 students from China studied at ANU in 2014, Professor Hughes-Warrington said.

A delegation from the Guangdong Province was recently at ANU for the opening of the centre. The delegation was led by the Vice-Governor of Guangdong Mr Yunxian Chen and included senior Guangdong government officials, the president and vice-president of the Guangdong Fenghua Advanced Technology Corporation and education officials.