On October 29, Dr. Andrew Forrest, founder and executive chairman of Australian Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (FMG Group), visited Central South University (CSU). He joined the discussions on scientific research cooperation and was invited to deliver a keynote academic lecture. Guo Ning, Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, Guo Xueyi, Vice President of CSU, and leaders from the Management Office of Scientific Research, Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges, and Education Foundation participated in the discussions and listened to the academic lecture with more than 200 teachers and students from CSU.
CSU and FMG Group have been in cooperation for a long time. CSU has hired three technical experts from FMG Group as visiting professors. In 2006, the “CSU-FMG Iron Mine Joint Research Center" was established. In 2013, FMG Group established the FMG Scholarship in CSU. In May 2023, FMG Group signed another donation agreement with CSU to continue supporting its education development. FMG Group will donate a total of AUD 250,000 (approximately RMB 1.25 million) to CSU, with AUD 50,000 per year from 2023 to 2027, and provide internship opportunities for award-winning students. Since 2006 when FMG Group started product line development for Asian customers, CSU has provided technical support to FMG Group and has carried out eight phases of technical cooperation with it. A good long-term cooperation and win-win mechanism have been formed.
During the discussions, the two sides recognized the deep cooperation in areas such as talent cultivation and technology development in the past, and exchanged views on promoting the next steps of cooperation. CSU has the world’s most complete and advanced non-ferrous metal discipline system chain of “geology, mining, beneficiation, metallurgy, materials, processing and manufacturing”. FMG Group is a leading player in the iron ore industry and a major global iron ore producer, supplier and seaborne exporter that is working to eliminate fossil fuels. The two sides have a solid foundation for cooperation in promoting green energy development and building a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, and have broad prospects for cooperation in the research and development of hydrogen energy. Going forward, the two sides will carry out further discussions in order to reach a cooperation agreement in the field of hydrogen energy.
After the discussions, Dr. Forrest delivered a keynote lecture on “Working Together to Address Climate Change and Promote Green Energy” in the auditorium of Science Park. Dr. Forrest used data and vivid cases to illustrate the major crisis that global warming will bring to human society. He called on human beings to eliminate various obstacles that may hinder the development of green energy manufacturing and formulate corresponding policies to resolve risks. He also called on the business and political communities to take responsibility. More than 200 teachers and students from the School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, School of Metallurgy and Environment, Dundee International Institute and other secondary schools attended the wonderful lecture. After the lecture, Dr. Forrest exchanged views with the teachers and students, and answered their questions about green energy.
Dr. Forrest will also attend the Boao Forum for Asia Council meeting and the second conference of the Global Economic Development and Security Forum in Changsha at the end of October.
(First Reviewer: Yan Mengjing, Second Reviewer: Han Yan, Third Reviewer: Li Yin)
Source: Management Office of Scientific Research
Original article link: https://news.csu.edu.cn/info/1003/157198.htm
