US

Chinese companies on MIT's industrial radar

By Kelly Chung Dawson (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-01 16:22

NEW YORK - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will continue to expand its Industrial Liaison Program (ILP), particularly in green technology, following the recent announcement that Chinese green tech company Trina Solar has signed up for the program.

Charles Hsu, senior industrial officer at MIT's office of corporate relations, said although ILP scouts for companies in various areas, the institute is keen to pursue anything related to energy and green tech.

The ILP works to pair industry companies with university research and know-how, partnering with more than 800 prestigious companies that include Microsoft, DuPont and Novartis.

"MIT is very interested in being a part of helping green tech take off in China," Hsu said. "We want to open up the Chinese market more."

Trina Solar was recently ranked No 2 out of 26 publicly listed solar companies, the PRTM 201 PV Sustainable Growth Index said.

The company, which is recognized in China as a State Key Lab by the Ministry of Science and Technology, will join the ILP that has five other Chinese companies including Haier, Nan Da Soft and Sany.

Hsu said MIT is also seeking additional Chinese companies, aiming to add at least four more by next year.

"Anything that happens in China is on a grand scale and will impact people's lives and the world climate," he said.

"MIT is looking forward to continuing to work with Chinese companies to make a difference."

Gao Jifan, chairman and executive officer of Trina Solar, said: "Trina Solar and MIT share the same commitment to developing high-quality solar electricity solutions for businesses and households worldwide."

Like all companies involved in the program, Trina's induction into the ILP will give it access to the university's facilities.

Company representatives will meet relevant researchers on campus to discuss collaboration and projects that may span several years, Hsu said.

In addition, Trina will participate in technical conferences and will have access to MIT research databases.

"MIT doesn't use the word 'training'," Hsu said. "We call it executive and professional education. We're not training these companies to do specific things; we're training them to be innovative."

Chinese companies are going through a learning process in terms of how to collaborate with US universities, Hsu said.

"They're asking themselves questions like, 'How do we share intellectual property? How do we utilize the university's students to best further our research?'" Hsu said.

While MIT does ask participating companies for donations, no financial contribution is required, Hsu said. And MIT does not get stock options or profits from its ILP partners.

"What MIT gains from the collaboration is that the companies often bring in people who then study at MIT, and what we care about most is intellectual interaction," he said.

Companies considered eligible for the program will generally have revenue of at least $1 billion. Other companies ILP hopes to sign up include Lenovo, Founder Group and Suntech Power.

China Daily