Professor Zhanfeng Cui at the 5 year OSCAR celebration eventProfessor Zhanfeng Cui, OSCAR director, presided over the events. He was joined by government leaders from Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), senior officials of the British Consulate General in Shanghai, and VIP guests from universities and enterprises.
In his opening remarks, he mentioned that over the past five years, OSCAR has successfully hurdled from zero to one, achieving commendable milestones in research development and social impact despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. A video clip showcasing OSCAR’s achievements was also shown.
The Centre has filed a total of 29 international PCTs, authored 70 published papers, obtained approval for 29 funded technology projects, initiated 32 internal research projects, and engaged in 21 research collaborations. It has established two Innovation Technology Centres (ITCs), hosted two Oxford spinouts, and set up one spin-out company of its own. Additionally, seven technological achievements are poised for commercialization. OSCAR has generated a cumulative total of RMB 30 million, marking a new era for OSCAR's research development and incubation.
The celebration also included speeches by Matt Burney, Acting Consul-General of the British Consulate in Shanghai; Lei Wang, AstraZeneca Global Executive Vice President and President of AstraZeneca China; Danny Yeung, CEO and Co-Founder of Prenetics; and Qian Ni, Vice Chairman of SIP Administrative Committee.
The anniversary celebration was also an opportunity to highlight some of OSCAR’s newest industry collaborations, with a series of launch ceremonies and a strategic cooperation signing ceremony held on the same day.
Launch of OSCAR-Taiyuan One Health Innovation Technology Centre
The OSCAR-Taiyuan One Health ITC has been jointly established by the OSCAR and Hangzhou Taiyuan Pharmaceutical Innovation Research Institute. It is the third technology innovation centre created by OSCAR, following OSCAR-Prenetics ITC and OSCAR-Hongda ITC.
OsBio is a spin-out company of OSCAR, primarily engaged in the development of molecular diagnostic raw materials reagents, research and promotion of rapid diagnostic kits for infectious diseases, and related consulting services.
OsCool is a spin-out company of OSCAR, focusing on phase-change thermal energy storage technology and its applications.
Prof. Mark Moloney, OSCAR’s deputy director, took the floor to introduce the "OSCAR Generation" programme. "OSCAR Generation" is a training programme developed by OSCAR for secondary, postgraduate and graduate students. The programme aims to cultivate research capabilities and potential for students through bilingual, in-depth scientific research learning and practice.
The International Microbiology Literacy Initiative (IMiLI) aims to provide new materials for the teaching of microbiology in schools in order to create a society that is literate in key aspects of microbiology that are important for knowledge-based everyday family decisions, as well and regional, national and global policy decisions affecting everyone and the planet. OSCAR hosts the IMiLI East Asia Headquarters and will facilitate the implementation of IMiLI activities in the east Asian region.
Project Agreement Signing for models applied in portfolio optimization, MOU signing for OSCAR Incubation Services, and MOU signing for Digital Health for Elderly Care project were also held at the scene.
Officially opened in 2018, OSCAR stands as a leading exemplar of UK-China science and technology collaboration. The Centre’s research portfolio spans biomedical engineering and healthcare, environment and biotechnology, mathematical modelling and data analytics, nanotechnology, and functional materials, providing innovative solutions to global challenges in healthcare, energy, environment, and finance.