Date Created: 28 January 2010
Edinburgh Napier University and City University of Hong Kong join forces to establish Hong Kong’s first Biofuel Research Centre
Scotland's Edinburgh Napier University and City University of Hong Kong (CityU) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding announcing that they would form a partnership to establish Hong Kong’s first Biofuel Research Centre.
The Centre will be the first of its kind in Hong Kong and will be a key component of CityU’s new School of Energy and Environment to address both the rising global demand for sustainable and non-fossil-based fuels and Hong Kong’s urgent need to develop sustainable solutions to accommodate the ever-increasing volume of waste matter.
The Centre will focus on research and development of renewable energy via second generation biofuels from a diverse range of non-food crops and waste matter. Biofuels are energy sources made from renewable biological materials, unlike traditional fossil fuels such as oil and coal which are not sustainable.
Edinburgh Napier University is home to Scotland's own Biofuel Research Centre (BfRC) – UK’s first research centre dedicated to the development of sustainable biofuel. The Director of BfRC, Professor Martin Tangney, is an internationally recognised expert in microbial biofuel production and a key figure in the renewable energy sector in Scotland.
The BfRC has achieved international prominence as a portal for the assimilation, integration and dissemination of knowledge and information across national and international academia, industry and government.
International collaboration key to future developments
Edinburgh Napier University will initially work with CityU’s School of Energy and Environment in acquiring the necessary equipment and recruiting academic and research personnel for the Centre.
Collaboration between the two universities will then be extended to the development and application of joint research projects, student and faculty exchange programmes and joint partnerships with private industries in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
“Scotland is at the forefront of renewable energy research and technology in the world. Edinburgh Napier University has over twenty years of experience of working with partners in Hong Kong and I look forward to another key collaboration. The Edinburgh Napier University and CityU collaboration is an important step in the global search for new and more sustainable energy solutions.”
– Professor Dame Joan Stringer, DBE, Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University
“Edinburgh Napier University’s Biofuel Research Centre has achieved international acclaim and we look forward to sharing our experiences and expertise in establishing this joint research centre at CityU. This is a tremendous opportunity for Hong Kong to become the R&D hub and commercialisation centre for renewable energy technologies in China and beyond. This is the decade where it will all happen.”
– Professor Martin Tangney, Director of BfRC
“This Centre represents a key development for the School of Energy and Environment at CityU. We expect that it will become an important hub for scientific research in the area of biofuel, which will eventually lead to the commercialisation of new technologies and enhance our professional education to benefit various sectors of society, including the government, industries, academia and the general public.”
– Professor Johnny Chan Chung Leung, Dean of the CityU School of Energy and Environment