UM, Chinese University Fund Renewable, Biotech Research

Officials of the University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have announced the first six research teams to win funding for renewable energy and biomedical technology projects in a new joint program that teams up investigators from both schools.

The first-round winners were announced at a ceremony in Shanghai. At the same event, officials from both universities formally approved the joint research program, signing a resolution on collaborative research that commits each school to spending $3 million over the next five years.

Each of the six winning teams will receive $200,000. The projects were selected from 39 proposals -- 20 in biomedical technologies and 19 in renewable energy -- submitted by teams that include researchers from both UM and SJTU.

"The research strengths of our two universities are quite complementary, so we are well-matched to work together on some of the grand challenges facing humanity," said UM Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest, who, along with UM President Mary Sue Coleman, attended Tuesday's signing ceremony in China. "Today we are facing human-scale problems that will require global collaborations that bring together the world's best scientists and engineers. The globalization of research is beginning to transform the way big problems are tackled, and the University of Michigan will be at the forefront of this emerging trend."

The goal of the UM/SJTU Collaborative Research Program in Renewable Energy Science and Technology is to develop new technologies that reduce global carbon emissions and their impact on climate change. The Collaborative Research Program in Biomedical Technologies will spur technological advances that improve human health.

"Renewable energy and biomedical technologies that improve human health -- I cannot think of two other areas of research that can have a greater impact on the environment and the quality of life of people worldwide," Forrest said.

Winning projects in the renewable energy category:

* High-capacity Li-air batteries for electric vehicle applications. Principal investigators: Donald Siegel, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan; Zi-Feng Ma, Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Xianxia Yuan, Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Goal: Combine experiments and computational modeling to identify optimal cathode catalysts for Li-air batteries that could power low-cost electric vehicles with a driving range comparable to today's gasoline-powered vehicles.

* High-efficiency hybrid solar cells based on carbon nanotube enhanced nanostructures. Principal investigators: Yafei Zhang, Research Institute of Micro/Nanometer Science & Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Zhaohui Zhong, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan. Goal: Integrate single-walled carbon nanotubes into existing silicon and polymer photovoltaic devices to create high-efficiency hybrid solar cells.

* Large-panel integrated-light transmitting and solar energy-harvesting façade systems for net-zero energy-efficient buildings. Principal investigator: Harry Giles, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan. Goal: Build and test a prototype of a new, high-efficiency "smart façade" for buildings that captures solar energy, transmits light, provides enhanced insulation and is capable of changing its characteristics through sensor-based interaction with internal building climate controls.

Winning projects in the biomedical technologies category:

* Composite microfluidic nanophotonic sensors for rapid and sensitive detection of cancer biomarkers in blood. Principal investigators: Xudong Fan, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan; Tian Yang, U-M/SJTU Joint Institute. Goal: Prototype a low-cost, palm-size diagnostic instrument that can be used in hospitals or clinics to rapidly and sensitively detect multiple cancer biomarkers using only a finger-pricked blood sample.

* Novel multifunctional endoscope-based medical devices for advanced diagnosis and treatment procedures. Principal investigators: Albert J. Shih, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan; Kai Xu, U-M/SJTU Joint Institute. Goal: Develop an advanced endoscopic stitching device based on a super-elastic suture to enable endoscopic gastric bypass for obesity treatment and other procedures.

* Development of acoustic droplet vaporization for the enhancement of high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy. Principal investigators: J. Brian Fowlkes, Department of Radiology and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan; Aili Zhang, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Jingfeng Bai, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Goal: Use the Acoustic Droplet Vaporization (ADV) method to enhance the controlled heating of tissues during high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatments. ADV-enhanced HIFU promises breakthrough advances -- including reduced treatment time, increased cost-effectiveness and improved protection of sensitive tissues -- in the field of thermal ablation of tumors.

The goal of the initial five-year seed phase of the joint UM/SJTU research programs is to identify projects that have commercialization potential and that are likely to attract follow-on research funding from the U.S. and Chinese governments, as well as from industry. The renewable energy collaborations will take advantage of funding opportunities expected to be offered by both the U.S. Department of Energy and the Chinese government.

"As we look at renewable energy, we have to keep in mind that China and the United States are the two largest carbon-emitting nations on the face of the Earth," Forrest said. "By taking a leadership role and investing significant resources to come up with some solutions, the UM and SJTU are showing the world that we are seriously committed to helping solve this urgent problem."

In addition to the renewable energy and biomedical technologies research programs, the two universities will offer grants of up to $80,000 to organize and host collaborative symposia focusing on major topics in the areas of renewable energy and biomedical engineering.

The new research partnerships between UM and SJTU build on years of collaboration between the two schools. In 2001, UM became the first non-Chinese academic institution approved to offer graduate engineering degrees to students in China, at SJTU. In 2005, UM and SJTU strengthened the partnership by forming a joint institute to manage and direct degree-granting programs offered by both universities to students from both nations.

In May 2010, UM, in partnership with SJTU and several other U.S. and Chinese universities and national laboratories, submitted a proposal to the Energy Department for a U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center for Clean Vehicles.

The proposal, which is under review, calls for a dramatic reduction in petroleum-based fuel consumption and vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions for both nations. The reductions would be accomplished through the synergy of optimized low-carbon energy carriers, including biofuels and electricity.

"Because of our existing research partnerships with SJTU, the University of Michigan is perfectly positioned to lead this binational consortium, which would conduct breakthrough research and development impacting three of society's grand challenges: climate change, energy security and environmental sustainability," Forrest said.

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