On February 17, 2025, the Doctoral Training Partnership workshop between the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) and the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) of Chinese Academy of Sciences was successfully held at the Nottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute (CBI). Over 20 faculty members, project management staff, and graduate students attended this event. The workshop focused on deepening collaboration in field of drug discovery and the cultivation of international talent. This event not only reinforced the partnership between the two institutions but also expanded SIMM's global scientific research network.

The academic workshop began with opening remarks from academic leaders of both institutions: Associate Professor Enrico Marsili from UNNC and Principal Investigator XU Yechun from SIMM. They emphasized the importance of academic collaboration and advancement of the joint PhD training program. Ms. WANG Ying from the Graduate School of UNNC provided a detailed overview of the PhD training program, covering admissions, eligibility criteria, and scholarship program.

Following speeches, supervisors from SIMM shared the latest advancements in academic areas, including antiviral drugs, drugs for metabolic diseases, anti-cancer drugs, and carbohydrate drug discovery. Meanwhile, supervisors from UNNC presented their innovative research in microbial mechanisms, natural product chemistry, systems biology, and development of human eye tissue models. Both parties engaged in discussions about future interdisciplinary cooperation, recognizing strong complementarity of their research fields. They agreed that their combined expertise offers vast potential for advancing theoretical research, technological innovation, and new drug discovery.

In addition to academic exchanges, participants from SIMM toured the advanced research facilities at CBI. This meeting not only deepened mutual understanding but also established a solid foundation for future substantial collaborations.

Participants from SIMM took tour at CBI

On-site at the Workshop 

Supervisors delivered academic speech

Discussion Session for supervisors

Group photo of the participants

Contact:

JIANG Qingling

Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences

E-mail: qljiang@stimes.cn