The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences has added another link to its growing chain of Asia connections with an agreement that brings China-based XY Group International to Research Triangle Park.
North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue announced the agreement Tuesday, coordinated with the U.S. visit of China’s President Hu Jintao. The memorandum of understanding between The Hamner, based in RTP, and XY Group, was signed Tuesday during a Durham, North Carolina, visit by a Chinese trade delegation. Financial terms were not disclosed. Officials from The Hamner and the Chinese delegation were not immediately available for comment.
Perdue’s office said the partnership means the XY Group, which develops investment and trade deals, will locate its U.S. operations at The Hamner’s 56-acre RTP campus. The Hamner has been in the process of expanding its RTP offices into a 1 million square-foot facility for research, technology and business development. The Hamner, a nonprofit research institute, focuses on toxicology and human health research.
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Tuesday’s agreement adds to a growing relationship between the state of North Carolina and China that Perdue’s office says will create a global biosciences gateway leading to more business and research partnerships. In 2009, The Hamner announced a partnership with China Medical City, a research park whose size and mission are comparable to that of RTP. The goal of the partnership is to connect North Carolina companies to research and development opportunities in China and create a path for companies in China to develop and commercialize their work in the United States.
“If North Carolina is going to not just compete but thrive in a 21st century economy, we must build on relationships around the globe that will provide mutual benefit to both sides,” Perdue said in a prepared statement. “What we’re doing today is paving the way for future development between our countries – development that may one day translate into jobs for our people.”
XY Group already has offices in Germany, Russia, the Middle East and Africa. Dr. Yang Yunsong, president and CEO of XY Group, said in a statement that China is embarking on a five-year strategic plan that will focus on life sciences and new energy technologies.
“We see a unique opportunity to advance the economic goals of both China and the United States in our partnership with The Hamner Institutes and North Carolina,” he said.
