Two years ago ISTM began an exchange of researchers with Tsinghua and Sichuan Universities in China, funded by a European grant award to Dr Nick Forsyth and Professor Alicia El Haj.

So far, Keele has welcomed four students, Qiang Peng, Jianfeng Han, Jing Zhou and Cui Ling Dong, to its tissue engineering labs at the Guy Hilton Research Centre. ISTM has also hosted senior Chinese staff, Professor George Chen from Tsinghua University and Dr Xun Xun from Sichuan University, who exchanged ideas and presented their research during their stay. The picture above shows Jing Zhou and Jianfeng Han working in the ISTM laboratories.

Meanwhile, three Keele PhD students, William Webb, Tina Dale and Alex Lomas have spent periods of several months working in Beijing. Dr Forsyth and Professor El Haj have both now presented invited research seminars at Sichuan and Tsinghua universities, and last summer Dr Forsyth supervised a research team at Tsinghua. He delivered a number of invited seminars around the Beijing area with the additional support of an ISTM Research Fellowship. Jing Zhou, Alex Lomas, William Webb and Cui Ling Dong are pictured (right) at the Guy Hilton Research Centre.