On March 6, Bayer and Tsinghua University renewed their strategic R&D cooperation agreement, committing to further expand collaborative research in disease biology, structural biology, and medicinal chemistry over the next three years. As early as 2009, Bayer established an innovative strategic partnership with Tsinghua University, renewing the agreement twice, in 2012 and 2015 respectively.
“Close partnerships are more conducive to sparking innovative inspiration. The strategic collaboration between Bayer and top academic institutions such as Tsinghua University serves as a strong complement to their respective R&D capabilities and constitutes an important component of the company’s R&D strategy,” said Dr. Joerg Moeller, Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Head of Global Research and Development. “We will continue our successful cooperation with Tsinghua University, further reinforcing Bayer’s commitment to positioning China as a key pillar of its innovation strategy.”
Pictured are Dr. Joerg Moeller, Head of Global Research and Development for Bayer Prescription Drugs, and Professor Dong Chen, Dean of the School of Medicine at Tsinghua University, representing both parties in the renewal of their strategic R&D cooperation agreement.
Over the past nine years, Bayer and Tsinghua University have conducted more than 60 joint research projects, achieving fruitful results. One of these collaborations resulted in a joint patent in 2014 and the establishment of a compound library at Tsinghua University. Building on this partnership, both parties will further strengthen academic exchange and communication between Bayer and Tsinghua University through workshops, Bayer Lecture Days, and scientist exchanges.
Meanwhile, to encourage and recognize scholars who have made outstanding contributions to life sciences and drug research and development, Bayer also sponsors the “Bayer Chair Professorship” and the “Bayer Researcher Award.” Recently, Professor Wang Hongwei, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University, was awarded the “Bayer Chair Professorship,” and a total of 12 distinguished scholars from Tsinghua University’s School of Life Sciences, School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine received the “Bayer Researcher Award.”
Dr. Tom Kinzel, Head of the China Innovation Center at Bayer Drug Development, stated, “Pharmaceutical companies require highly specialized knowledge and expertise to continuously develop innovative medicines. It is difficult for any single company to accomplish this alone, whereas strategic partnerships can create substantial value across the drug development value chain.”
In addition to Tsinghua University, Bayer partnered with Peking University in 2014 to establish the Bayer–Peking University Center for New Drug Research and Development and Translational Medicine. In 2017, the project entered its second phase of comprehensive strategic cooperation, accelerating the translation of basic research findings into new drug development in the fields of cardiovascular disease, oncology, and gynecology, while promoting technological research across the drug development value chain.