15 January 2015
The partnership addresses one of the most pressing issues for world leaders today, the Low Carbon and Sustainability agenda. The agreement between the two schools is highly timely, signed as it was last November, within a few days of the Summit in Beijing, where ambitious new pledges were made by President Obama and President Xi Jinping to curb carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.
At the heart of the partnership is the integration of University of Edinburgh Business School’s world-leading expertise in carbon finance, management and strategic leadership, with Guanghua School of Management expertise in financial innovation, economics and management studies.
This will be used to develop collaborative research in the areas of carbon management science, carbon and environmental accounting, corporate sustainability and socially responsible investment and sustainable development for poverty alleviation, as well as student exchange opportunities. Edinburgh’s contributions in China are being led by Dr Xi Liang, Senior Lecturer in Energy Finance, Dr Francisco Ascui, Director of the Centre for Business and Climate Change, and Professor Richard Harrison, Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Professor Li Yining, Honorary Dean of Guanghua School of Management, and one of China’s most influential economists, welcomed the University of Edinburgh Business School delegation, led by Professor Ian Clarke. The two schools then held a joint workshop on Low Carbon Development and Carbon Markets at Guanghua, inaugurated by John Edwards, Minister Counsellor for the British Embassy in Beijing, who oversees UK-China policy collaboration on climate change, urbanisation and energy.
The University of Edinburgh Business School created a world-first MSc in Carbon Finance in 2012, which develops the skills needed to become responsible low carbon investment leaders.
The partnership between the two schools extends the highly successful collaboration that already exists between the two universities, with the National China Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh and the National UK Research Centre at Peking University.
Prof Ian Clarke, Dean at University of Edinburgh Business School said:
We’re really looking forward to working with PKU on Low Carbon, one of the most pressing issues for businesses in industrialised nations today. We’re at the forefront of this conversation, with our MSc in Carbon Finance and the corporate engagement of our Centre for Business and Climate Change. We are honoured to be collaborating with China’s leading business school – it is an exciting opportunity for both our faculty and students.
Professor Li Yining, Honorary Dean at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management said:
The low-carbon economy serves as both an opportunity and a challenge for China. This is a key strategic target in the macroeconomic policies of China, which we must achieve.
Professor Cai Hongbin, Dean at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management said:
We are looking forward to working with the University of Edinburgh Business School. This is a highly-valued international collaboration between our two universities, as it manages to enhance the communication of the development of the low carbon economy in China and the world.