Long-standing partners create new healthy ageing research institute

The University of Birmingham and The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (FAH-SYSU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work closely together on exploring new opportunities for research and education collaboration in healthy ageing.

Establishing the International Institute for Healthy Ageing will see the long-standing partners setting up multidisciplinary research groups, as well as providing vocational training and professional education to healthcare professionals working in the field.

The UoB and FAH-SYSU will focus on translating research outcomes into practical applications and helping to cultivate scientific talents in developing countries.

Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor & Principal of the University of Birmingham joined Professor Haipeng Xiao, Executive Vice President of Sun Yat-sen University and President of FAH-SYSU to sign the MoU in a ceremony held at FAH-SYSU, in Guangzhou, China.

The meeting formed part of Professor Tickell's first visit to Guangzhou as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. He visited the Clinical Treatment Centre, the Research Centre, and the International Robotic Surgery Training Centre at FAH-SYSU’s Nansha Division - witnessing the latest progress of FAH-SYSU’s health care, research and teaching platforms.

Professor Tickell commented: “Signing this agreement continues our long-standing and fruitful partnership. The University of Birmingham and FAH-SYSU have an excellent basis for cooperation, and I look forward to us working together to deliver considerable future success in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

“We are a global university with a civic outlook and this collaboration builds on our excellent relationship with the hospital. China and the wider world face a major challenge in ageing populations – our partnership could help to secure a healthy old age for millions of people in China and beyond.”

Professor Xiao commented: “There is a remarkable longevity of the partnership between the two prestigious institutes. We have embarked on a journey of health discovery, focusing on critical areas such as primary care training and impactful clinical research.”

“Together, the two parties stand at the forefront of innovative healthy ageing research and transformative healthcare initiatives. This enduring partnership exemplifies our shared commitment to the well-being of our community.”

The University of Birmingham delegation also included Professor Jon Frampton, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (China) and Director of the University’s China Institute, and Professor KK Cheng, Director of the University’s Institute of Applied Health Research. Participants from FAH-SYSU included Professor Ming Kuang, Professor Zilian Wang, and Professor Qingtang Zhu, Vice-Presidents of FAH-SYSU, and Professor Canquan Zhou, Executive Director of FAH-SYSU Nansha Division.

During a round-table discussion, President Haipeng Xiao introduced Sun Yat-sen University and FAH-SYSU and the hospital’s cooperation with internationally renowned universities such as the University of Birmingham in the UK, Harvard Medical School affiliates and the University of California, Berkeley in the US.

FAH-SYSU and the University of Birmingham have established a long-standing and well-established cooperation. Since 2013, they have developed a series of collaborations projects in clinical trials, primary care, global epidemiology, and geriatrics, and have reached several achievements, including the FAH-SYSU – University of Birmingham Joint Clinical Trials Unit.