On March 6th, Sichuan University hosted a signing ceremony to mark the official launch of a new research collaboration agreement between Sichuan University and ExxonMobil. Mr. Bin Liang, Vice President of Sichuan University, ExxonMobil’s Global CEO for Research and Development, Caiguo Gong, and Chip Wittenbrink, ExxonMobil’s Global Product Research Manager, attended the ceremony, along with other company personnel and faculty from SCU’s Institute for Scientific and Technological Development and College of Polymer Science and Engineering.
Bin Liang welcomed the visiting delegation from ExxonMobil on behalf of Sichuan University, offering congratulations to the two signing parties. After giving a brief introduction to SCU, highlighting the current status of chemistry and polymer science, Professor Liang explained that the university attaches a great deal of importance to its international scientific partnerships and collaborative projects and is currently promoting further exchanges with global industry in different sectors. Entering research agreements with top global companies such as ExxonMobil is also one key component of SCU’s world-class university construction scheme. SCU pledges its full support to the cooperative agreement and is hopeful that SCU researchers and ExxonMobil developers working together will promote important developments in the fields of chemical engineering, polymer science, and pharmaceutics, among others, to bring about benefits for both sides.
ExxonMobil is the world’s largest oil and gas corporation; a major industry leader, it is also the world’s largest integrated refiner. During the signing ceremony, Caiguo Gong offered his congratulations and gave a brief update on the company and its China Research Center for Globalization. He looks forward to witnessing the fruitful collaboration between SCU and ExxonMobil in the near future.
Professor Wei Yang, Vice Dean of SCU’s College of Polymer Science and Engineering and organizer of the project, outlined the provisions of the agreement.
Head of SCU’s Institute for Scientific and Technological Development, Liangyin Chu, and ExxonMobil’s Chip Wittenbrink each represented his side as signatory of the agreement, according to which the two sides will enter a five-year research collaboration with an estimated budget of 15 million Chinese yuan.
Cooperation between ExxonMobil and Sichuan University dates back to 2014; in 2017, the company identified SCU as one of its strategic partners due to the school’s outstanding research capabilities. This most recent agreement marks a new chapter in their important partnership and is certain to lead to further fruitful scientific and technological cooperation.
