2014-04-03

A delegation of University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) visited SUMC from 27 to 28 March 2014 to engage in talks on the SUMC-UMCG Joint PhD Program and to explore potential research collaboration between UMCG and SUMC.

The delegation consisted of Prof. Folkert Kuipers, Professor of Pediatrics, Dean of the university's Faculty of Medical Sciences and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UMCG, Dr. Meertinus Smit, Director of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at the UMCG and Program Manager Life Sciences of the Healthy Ageing Network Northern Netherlands, and Dr. Albert Groen, Professor of Systems Biology and Head of the Laboratory of Digestive and Metabolic Disease. The delegation was warmly welcomed by Prof. Junhui Bian, Executive Dean of SUMC, Prof. Dongyang Huang, Executive Vice Dean of SUMC, Dr. Frieda Law, Representative of Li Ka Shing Foundation at SUMC together with several senior faculty and staff members of SUMC.

On the morning of the first day, the two sides engaged in a work meeting for an in-depth review of the SUMC-UMCG Joint PhD Program with the aim of advancing the implementation of the joint PhD program and strengthening the strategic partnership between UMCG and SUMC. On the afternoon, a round of presentations on UMCG and the joint PhD program were delivered by the UMCG delegates to the faculty and students of SUMC. Prof. Kuipers briefed on the recent developments at UMCG and the potential collaboration between UMCG and SUMC. Dr. Smit talked about the achievements that UMCG had made in the post-graduate education and international cooperation. On the next day, mutual presentations of the respective research projects of UMCG and SUMC were held among the UMCG delegates and the faculty representatives of SUMC with the intention of exploring potential collaborative research projects.

Both sides will continue to explore possibilities for further cooperation.