Dec. 6-8, 2016, Chengdu witnessed the convening of “2016 China-UK Researcher Links Workshop on Healthcare Technologies for Aging Populations”, which was sponsored by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and British Council (BC), jointly applied by Prof. Xia Hesheng from Sichuan University and Prof. Phil Coates from Bradford University, Britain, and organized by the State key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering of SCU. Prof. Li Guangxian, Executive Vice President of SCU and Director of the State key Laboratory, Prof. Phil Coates of Bradford University, and Academician of Royal Academy of Engineering and Director of British Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Center (Polymer IRC) as well, and Ms. Kiki Liang, Director of UK-China Research Innovation Partnership Fund, together with the leaders of several related institutions of both sides, attended the workshop. This workshop also attracted more than 80 experts and scholars from 11 British universities, including Bradford, Imperial College London, and Sheffield University, as well as from 7 domestic universities and research institutions like Sichuan University, Peking University, and Chinese Academy of Sciences, etc.

Prof. Li Guangxian, Executive Vice President of the SCU, delivered the opening ceremony speech. Ms. Kiki Liang, Director of UK-China Research Innovation Partnership Fund, introduced the role and function of British Council in promoting cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Britain. The related leader of Science & Technology Department of Sichuan Province, among others, introduced the status of international cooperation as well as bioengineering and pharmaceutical industries in Sichuan Province.

During the workshop, 50 scholars from both nations presented their technical reports or wall exhibitions, and sorted out, by seriously discussing and combing the potential innovative points of future China-UK cooperation, over 20 specific cooperative research ideas, covering some cutting-edge interdisciplinary research areas like bio-medical technologies, tissue engineering restoration materials, artificial skin materials, drug sustained-release materials and medical electrodes. The attended representatives also visited the SCU’s State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering and International Cooperation Research Center for Biomaterials, as well as Chengdu OCI Medical Devices Co., Ltd, thus having an insight into the SCU’s 120-year historical and cultural connotations and technological innovation spirit, as well as the development status and prospect of biomedical materials in Sichuan Province. This successful workshop has set up a communication platform for Chinese and British young scholars and laid a solid foundation for further communication and cooperation in the future.