The event The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai is the biggest and most high profile Expo the world has ever seen, and is expected to attract 70 million visitors between May and October, including members of the public, businesses, government leaders and professionals.
The overarching theme of the Expo is sustainability, exploring the full potential of urban life in the 21st Century, through the theme 'Better City, Better Life'.
The iconic UK Pavilion is ambitious in scale and designed to showcase the best of 21st century British architecture, design, creativity, technology and innovation. The UK Pavilion received its four millionth visitor on the first week of August 2010.
The University of Nottingham is housed in the Zed Pavilion, one of many purpose-built structures at Shanghai Expo 2010, and is located in the Zero Carbon Living Space zone. The pavilion is an example of urban best practice, designed and built by leading green architects ZEDfactory. It was chosen after winning the international design competition in this category.
The University of Nottingham chose zero carbon, zero waste as their theme for the Expo, positioning themselves as global leaders in sustainable academic thinking and research.
Why is the University at Shanghai World Expo 2010? The University of Nottingham is a global university with campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia. It is therefore extremely well positioned to showcase its world-changing research in sustainability in China.
The University’s China Ningbo Campus is home to the Centre for Sustainable Energy Technology (CSET). The CSET building acts as a beacon, leading the way forward for a sustainable approach to building design and construction in China, and demonstrating the contribution that sustainable energy technologies can make to the low carbon economy of the future.
The Shanghai 2010 Expo is the biggest visitor event between the Beijing Olympics and London’s Olympics in 2012.The Expo is the perfect opportunity for the UK, the East Midlands and the University of Nottingham to raise their profile using the event as a high-profile catalyst to maintain a strong China-UK bi-lateral relationship.
The development of strong relations with China will be hugely beneficial to the UK business environment, attracting high quality investors into the UK and developing trade opportunities with the growing Chinese market. China is currently the world’s second largest economy,,and by the middle of this century it is expected to be the largest. Our participation at the Expo offers a unique platform to showcase the best of what British business has to offer.
England’s East Midlands is perfectly positioned to benefit from the opportunities arising from Shanghai Expo – the region’s world-leading low carbon research institutions and manufacturers, together with its central location in the UK, make it the ideal place for Chinese businesses to develop collaborations and enter the European market.
Activities The University of Nottingham has organised a series of 17 events and seminars taking place at Shanghai Expo in the Zed Pavilion. These events are around the topics of sustainable development, sustainable healthcare, low carbon, green manufacturing and living and energy. Indeed, achieving a sustainable development will be China’s biggest challenge over the coming decade. The events three main objectives are R&D collaborations, commercial spin-outs and recruiting students.
Objectives The University of Nottingham’s presence in China is supported by East Midlands Development Agency (emda). emda works closely with the university to maximise the benefits for the region from academic collaborations, inward investment and trade opportunities with China. Both organisations aim to use Shanghai Expo to foster academic and business links between the UK and China. This was clearly identified as a key priority by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming during his visit to Nottingham on 28 June 2010. He said: “The ongoing World Expo has significantly boosted our business, financial and cultural cooperation and has enhanced the mutual understanding of our peoples. It is fair to say that our relationships are off to a good start, all we need to do now is step on the accelerator”.
Feedback so far At the half-way point in the Expo, The University of Nottingham is delighted with the results of its work at the Expo. Eight events have already taken place and all have been received very positively with attendance numbers matching expectations. Attendees have so far included senior industry leaders and businesses, academics and students. The Expo has enabled the University to enhance and deepen its relationship with, for example, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, particularly in the areas of Energy research.
Professor Chris Rudd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at The University of Nottingham said: “If anyone ever thought that academics should 'get out more' then Expo 2010 has provided the ultimate antidote!
“The sheer scale and ambition displayed in the exhibits and the enthusiasm of the 12million + monthly audience provides a stunning opportunity to share ideas and new initiatives on low carbon living.
“Moreover, with every major city of the world represented, we have a unique chance to benchmark the East Midlands progress in tackling the critical issues provoked by climate change - how these affect ordinary citizens and the challenges and opportunities facing the sustainable cities of tomorrow.
“We're proud to be working with emda at Expo 2010 - our joint efforts winning many new friends and strengthening our existing global ties. We are equally delighted to be placing Nottingham rightly amongst the World cities on the Expo park”.
David Wallace, International & Innovation Director at emda added: “It’s great to be partnering with a world-class university at the Expo. What a fantastic opportunity to showcase the region’s leading-edge credentials in low carbon technologies. The East Midlands is already proving to be a popular European location for Chinese investors – we’re confident that our involvement in the Expo with the University of Nottingham will encourage others to follow suit.”