Universal Instruments and Tsinghua University sign co-operation agreement

Citation

(2006), "Universal Instruments and Tsinghua University sign co-operation agreement", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. 18 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ssmt.2006.21918dab.001

Universal Instruments and Tsinghua University sign co-operation agreement

Universal Instruments and Tsinghua University sign co-operation agreement

Keywords: China, Surface mount technology

Universal Instruments and Tsinghua University have signed a co-operation agreement, officially sealing their commitment to promoting the development of education and training in China's surface mount technology (SMT) sector.

The signing of the agreement took place at Tsinghua's Campus between Universal President, Jeroen Schmits and the rector of Tsinghua mechanical institute, Mr Jia Huibo and was attended by leading government and industry representatives. The agreement specifically relates to future cooperation in areas including subject setup, preparation of teaching material and course sponsorship. Beyond these more immediate aims, both parties aim to nurture industry experts and a wider national technical knowledge base to promote the convergence of industrial, educational and research skills within the domestic electronics surface mount assembly industry.

Speaking after the signing, Wang Bohua, Director of the Electronic Information Product Management Department at Beijing's Ministry of Information and Industry expressed his hope that the new alliance will be extremely beneficial for China's electronics industry: “As the electronics manufacturing industry in China grows rapidly, it is also restricted by the lack of native professional talent in this field. We believe that such cooperation between enterprises and universities will play an active role in the progress of industry development. I hope that the partnership between Universal Instruments and Tsinghua University will be successful in contributing to this objective, extending our domestic skills base in the field of SMT” (Plate 1). Under the terms of the new agreement, Universal will work with Tsinghua University to establish a course in Microelectronics and SMT for graduate students, providing teaching and training materials, sponsorship and technical support. Universal's involvement will also ensure that the University is equipped with the most up-to-date technologies and the results of special research projects. Building on a current arrangement which sees Tsinghua students gain practical experience at Universal's Shekou facility, they will now additionally benefit from some of the world's most leading-edge process technology research facilities at Universal's Suzhou Technology Excellence Centre.

Plate 1 Universal President Jeroen Schmits and the Rector of Tsinghua Mechanical Institute Jia Huibo

Commenting on the recent signing, Universal's President Jeroen Schmits explains: “Essentially, our collaboration with Tsinghua University is extremely positive for China's SMT industry. By partnering with this leading educational institute, we will be able to bridge the gap that exists between the domestic skills base and the growing demands of this flourishing industry. By driving industry growth in this way, Universal is further emphasithis its commitment to this market, in addition to increasing our localisation in China.”