China’s ECCI-inspired Low Carbon College wins top award
The China-UK Low Carbon College - inspired by ECCI with leadership from the centre’s Executive Director Ed Craig - has won the Innovation in Education award at the 2019 China-Scotland Business Awards.
Driving international innovation
The win was announced at the China-Britain Business Council’s annual Chinese Burns Supper at Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria hotel on Thursday 24 January. The awards acknowledge innovation, effort and commitment in forging business partnerships with China and delivering commercial success.
A joint initiative of the University of Edinburgh, Shanghai Jaio Tong University and Shanghai Lingang City, the China-UK Low Carbon College encourages climate innovation in China and around the world.
Based at custom-designed facilities in the new ‘smart city’ of Shanghai Lingang, it provides state-of-the-art research, teaching and innovation facilities.
ECCI has played a key role in the inception and development of the China-UK Low Carbon College, which officially opened its doors in September 2018.
ECCI’s Executive Director for 2019 Ed Craig is currently seconded to the college on a part-time basis to drive forward its innovation and executive education activities.
In his role as role as Dean, Edinburgh, Ed leads the University of Edinburgh's activity within the college and heads up its innovation and professional education activities. He is also driving forward a new tailor-made innovation centre and research labs due to open on the campus in late 2019.
Ed Craig said: “It’s a huge privilege for the China-UK Low Carbon College to win this prestigious award - many thanks to everyone in Edinburgh, Shanghai and beyond whose talent and hard work have brought us this far.
“The college brings together two world-class universities building on ECCI’s expertise in cross-disciplinary, practical action for a thriving zero carbon future.
“In the world’s most populated nation, whose Belt and Road trade initiative is the world’s biggest ever infrastructure project, embedding low carbon solutions is vital – and a huge opportunity.”
Building on ECCI’s model
The China-UK Low Carbon College grew out of ECCI’s Low Carbon Innovation project, which helped more than 200 Scottish companies develop their business and build international links.
It aims to replicate ECCI’s cross-sectoral, practical approach to driving a low carbon future, mobilising expertise from six different schools across the University of Edinburgh and collaborating with a range of research institutions and businesses.
The college currently offers Masters courses in Low Carbon Environment and Low Carbon Energy. A postgraduate programme in Carbon Finance is planned for 2019/20. It has launched ten collaborative research partnerships so far, with more planned this year.
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