The Westlake Forum on Higher Education is held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Oct 20. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Cross-border cooperation between enterprises and universities is indispensable in encouraging students to make scientific and technological innovation, said Professor Hai-Sui Yu, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Leeds at a forum held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Oct 17.

The Westlake Forum on Higher Education, held on the same day of the establishment of the Westlake University, brought together more than 50 presidents and renowned scholars of prestigious universities from home and abroad, to explore the role of the global universities in scientific and technological development and to provide suggestions accordingly.

Universities, research institutes and enterprises should jointly establish a platform for technological innovation and adopt a model that transfers research results into products, Yu said.

Likewise, the same scenario also applies to university collaborations.

Mark S. Wrighton, chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, noted that the McDonnell International Scholars Academy of its university has developed a program collaborating with 34 top universities around the globe in areas of energy, the environment, clean water and nutrition.

Westlake University, a research-oriented private university, is China's first private university aimed at cultivating high-level talents in advanced technology to push the country to the forefront of scientific research.

Shi Yigong, president of Westlake University, said the university aspires to be committed to advancing scientific research and become a cradle of top-notched innovative talents with social responsibilities.

In the next 10 years, the university will focus on three disciplines, including science, medicine and engineering and promote interdisciplinary research, he said.

A joint declaration involving student exchanges, regular visits between faculty and staff and academic freedom was also reached between Westlake University and other international higher institutions, including Yale University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Leeds and New York University.

Shi Yigong (left), president of Westlake University, joins Nobel laureate Yang Zhenning (second from left) and Zhejiang governor Yuan Jiajun (second from right) at the founding ceremony of Westlake University in Hangzhou on Oct 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]