Advancing science and education through a novel collaboration platform between the University of Michigan and Peking University Health Science Center

Abstract

Research in China has been advancing over the past decade with increasing investments from government and private entities. Collaboration with Chinese investigators and those in the United States has also increased as reflected in the growth of scientific papers with Chinese authors. Collaborations are more commonly based on faculty‐to‐faculty relationships which can be challenged by institutional or governmental policies. This paper reports on an institution‐to‐ institution collaboration, the Joint Institute for Translational and Clinical Research initiated in 2010 between the University of Michigan Medical School and Peking University Health Science Center, to enable and support collaborative faculty‐initiated research. Concomitant education and training programs have also been co‐developed. Beginning in 2011, 190 proposals from faculty‐to‐faculty partnerships have been submitted from which 59 have been selected for funding. These projects have involved over 138,000 patient subjects and resulted in 86 peer‐reviewed publications to date. Pilot data has been leveraged to secure $27.3 million dollars of extramural funding outside of China. Faculty and trainee exchanges take place regularly including an annual symposium with mechanisms to link faculty who are seeking partnerships by utilizing each other's complementary strengths and resources. As the collaboration enters its second decade, both institutions believe that the model offers a unique platform to promote faculty‐initiated collaborative research. Next steps include funding studies in prioritized scientific themes, and promoting access to high‐quality cohorts to attract industry partners and to develop sustainable financial models.