TMCD Director, Professor Xiaolan Fu gave the keynote speech to 50 academics, policymakers and industry leaders from across Europe at the inaugural 'European Academic Salon' organised by global ICT company Huawei at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London this week. Prof Fu addressed the audience on benefits of and challenges to international innovation collaboration and university-industry linkages between emerging market firms and foreign universities.

The discussion focussed on the future direction of innovation and its implications for how universities and businesses work together. Professor Fu, director of the Technology and Management Centre for Development (TMCD) at ODID, presented her research on international innovation collaboration and university-industry linkages between emerging market MNEs and foreign universities.

According to Chen Lifang, Board Director and Senior Vice-President at Huawei, the aim of the salons is to 'bring industry and academia together in ever closer collaboration, and use new technologies to build a better connected world'.

The UK’s Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said: 'The UK is home to some of the world’s leading education institutions as well as a thriving tech sector, and partnerships between businesses and universities are crucial for ongoing innovation in technology, science and engineering. Huawei’s European Academic Salon will encourage academics and industry experts to work more closely which will help boost the UK’s standing as a technology leader'.