March Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine to be established at NUI Galway

At a signing ceremony in NUI Galway in the presence of the Chinese Vice-Minister for Education, the Ambassador of China in Ireland and the Mayor of Galway, NUI Galway has signed an agreement to establish a Confucius Institute and to formalise collaborative ties with Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (NJUCM).

The new Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at NUI Galway (威大学中医与再生医学孔子学院) will integrate east and west, ancient and modern, Chinese and regenerative medicine in medical education and research. The research programme will aim to identify regenerative properties of Chinese medicines including the effects on stem cell biology. 

The agreement follows recently established cooperation between NUI Galway’s regenerative medicine institute, REMEDI, and NJUCM and it paves the way for joint collaborations to integrate Chinese and Regenerative Medicine in the search for new treatments for conditions of unmet clinical need such as diabetes mellitus and neurodegenerative diseases. 

Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (NJUCM) is one of the earliest established (in 1954) and renowned Chinese Medicine Universities in China, and has contributed substantially to global research and education in Chinese Medicine.

In welcoming the announcement, Professor Tim O’Brien, Dean of Medicine at NUI Galway, said: “Global education, scientific research and clinical trials of Chinese Medicine are all needed to enable a worldwide translation of Chinese Medicine products.  NUI Galway and NJUCM through the foundation of this Confucius institute will enable collaborative research to be undertaken.  This research will occur in parallel with education and application of Chinese Medicine to practice in Ireland.”

Professor O’Brien added: “Chinese Medicine has therapeutic effects for many conditions with unmet medical need by Western medicine. The NUI Galway Centre will teach Chinese Medicine but will also have a research goal to identify active products in Chinese Medicine.”

President Ó hÓgartaigh speaking at the signing of the agreement said: “Since diplomatic relations began between China and Ireland 40 years ago, NUI Galway has had a close and strategic academic relationship with China. Today we work with Chinese partners across a range of areas and we host 165 Chinese students on campus. The establishment of a Confucius Institute is a major development for our University. We welcome the unique nature of this institute, which has at its core a partnership with Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine which has enabled us to establish a Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at NUI Galway. Chinese Medicine is a treasure of Chinese culture and the Galway Confucius Institute uniquely combines the medical and scientific traditions of East and West. We share the hope that together our scholars and clinicians working in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and in Regenerative Medicine and stem cell therapy will develop innovative treatments to improve healthcare for humankind.”

NJUCM has previously established a Confucius Institute of Chinese Medicine in partnership with colleges in Melbourne which has largely focused on promoting global education in Chinese Medicine. The NUI Galway Confucius Institute will have a major emphasis on discovering regenerative properties of Chinese Medicine products.

NUI Galway established the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) in 2004, with funding from Science Foundation Ireland. With significant Irish and European investment in basic and translational research, REMEDI is currently involved in 7 EU clinical trials investigating the clinical application of stem cells in conditions of unmet medical need, using mesenchymal stromal cells manufactured from an EU-standard GMP manufacturing facility at NUI Galway and partner institutions in the EU.

The Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at NUI Galway (高威大学中医与再生医学孔子学院) will be supported by global resources including Hanban, the Confucius Institute Headquarters, to integrate Chinese and Regenerative Medicine to benefit the health status of mankind globally.

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