Deakin forges “smart” partnership with HFUT

Deakin University and the Hefei University of Technology (HFUT) have joined together to explore ways to create a viable, 21st Century motor industry.

The two universities held a forum in Geelong in November aimed at confronting challenges to the automotive components industry.

"The Chinese market is set to play a huge role in those solutions,” said Deakin University’s Associate Professor Lingxue Kong.

"Both universities work at the cutting edge in automotive industry research and innovation, Deakin recently winning the Ford Global Challenge to design a Model T for the 21st Century.''

HFUT’s Vice-President, Professor Han Zhao said he was looking forward to working with Deakin’s researchers.

“Deakin University has become a first-class university in Australia, even in the world, and you have a lot you can teach us,” he said.

As well as leading researchers from Deakin and Hefei, the forum was attended by automotive and manufacturing industry participants and members of parliament.

Victorian MP John Eren, congratulated Deakin University on forging links with Chinese industry.

"This is great for us. China are a major player into the future in regard to world manufacturing,'' he said. “It is a smart partnership.

"Certainly Japan's biggest trading partner is now China. This is about us fitting into the high technology end of the automotive industry. This is what we need to do if we are to look at the potential to export.''

Hefei University of Technology is situated in Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, which is an important base for science and education in China.

The university was established 63 years ago and has an enviable record for producing sought after graduates in engineering. About a quarter of middle level technical and management leaders in the Chinese motor industry studied at Hefei University of Technology.

For more information on HFUT: http://www.hfut.edu.cn/en/

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