Chinese investment helps ANU develop new electronic devices

CANBERRA -- A Chinese company will invested A$1.75 million ($1.35 million) to the Australian National University (ANU) in five years to develop the next generation of small electronic devices, the ANU announced on Monday.

Guangdong Fenghua Advanced Technology Company is a giant producer of small electronic devices in China.

Its investment with the ANU will fund the ANU-Fenghua Joint Research and Development Centre, which was officially opened Tuesday by a delegation from Guangdong province.

The research from this center will be used in various small device applications.

The ANU-Fenghua Joint Research and Development Centre will be based at the Research School of Chemistry and be headed by Prof Yun Liu. It will develop materials for use in small electronic devices.

Acting ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington said the center represents the ANU's commitment to cutting-edge research and its ability to work with industry to get research into the hands of the world's consumers.

"This collaboration joins an impressive list of collaborations between the ANU and China," Hughes-Warrington said.

"We have Memorandum of Understandings, Student Exchange Agreements and Cooperative Agreements with a total of 45 institutions. Furthermore, over 3,000 students from China studied here in 2014."