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Sino-German forum highlights multi-stakeholder approach to 2030 Agenda

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zju.edu.cn | Updated: Nov 11, 2021

Industry-academia synergy for common goals

Universities have been traditionally regarded as the main stakeholder in sustainability-related education and research. How can enterprises get actively engaged in this cause? What still needs to be done to facilitate university-industry cooperation? The Forum climaxed with an “industry meets academia” roundtable to address these questions.

In front of an audience of the research community, students, industry and the general public, Ms. Schimanowski chaired the event at ZJU’s Shanghai Institute for Advanced Study (SIAS), and was joined in person by industry leaders and remotely by representatives of the previous academic sessions.

Mr. Ulf Dressler, Vice President for Corporate Communications APAC, LANXESS, stressed that “it is important to shift the discussion from moralistic standpoints to knowledge and concrete work”. Citing LANXESS as a case in point, he said companies can educate future leaders and responsible citizens through research competitions, hackathons, internships and scholarships, etc., many of which must be run in partnership with universities.

For SAP, it is crucial to help corporate companies achieve smart management and operations. Central to its products and services are three pillars, namely climate action, circular economy and social impact. SAP is also working with leading universities and peer companies to create a standard for measuring and disclosing the environmental, human, social and financial value companies provide to society, according to Mr. Phipps Xue, Senior Director of Strategic Partnership and Innovation, SAP Labs China.

Professor Zhou, Director of SIAS, added that innovative university-industry partnerships, such as in the form of joint grants and calls, can help channel research expertise into practical challenges facing the industry. For sustainable development, he stated that global network remains as strategically important as local cooperation and the Institute is positioned as a nexus in between.
The Forum was co-hosted by ZJU’s Office of Global Engagement and its newly-established Institute in Shanghai, with support from DAAD China and ZJU’s Earth Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, and Public Affairs schools. The event has received registrations from over 400 participants in 15 countries and regions, with livestream attracting more than 100,000 views.

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