Introduction

The USTC-CityU Joint Advanced Research Center is located in the Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District of Suzhou Industrial Park, which is the largest economic and technological cooperation project between the Chinese and Singaporean governments. Situated in the south part of Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District is an important facility, in which the Suzhou government has made a significant investment to develop higher education, cultivate talent for hi-tech industry and build an internationally competitive city.

On 13 June 2004, USTC and CityUHK signed an agreement to set up the Center, whose aim is to carry out frontier research and jointly recruit and educate high-quality research students.

USTC and CityUHK are both world-renowned universities, which have developed a close working relationship since the 1990s. A number of inter-university and inter-faculty academic exchange activities have been organised during the past 30 years. The establishment of the USTC–CityU Joint Advanced Research Center signifies a tighter connection between USTC and CityUHK and has further strengthened the collaboration between the two universities.

Since its inception, the Center has made good use of the regional advantage of Suzhou and its enormous economic growth to develop the innovative research areas in which the two universities have a common interest. At present, more than seven projects, including applied mathematics, control and mechatronics, web services, business and management, environmental science, fire safety and nanomechanics, computational and theoretical materials physics, have been carried out to put conceptual ideas into practice. It also serves as a platform to nurture research students.

With the rise of China, the Center will continue to strengthen its competitive edge in the Yangtze River Delta. By strengthening cooperation for mutual benefit, the Center is determined to provide quality education and continue its mission to develop a large pool of talent that is vital for the advancement of China.