UCL-China Research Festival, Friday 13 June, UCL

The UCL-China Research Festival 2008, which forms part of the nationwide celebration of modern China, China Now, is designed to make public the very best of UCL's China-related research work. Highlights include:

· Modernism in China - Edward Denison, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture, with Shanghai academics is exploring the influential period between ancient China and its rapid contemporary development, where early twentieth century architecture helped introduce modernity to China.

· Guangming smart-city - Professor CJ Lim, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture, working with researchers in Shenzhen has created an urban blueprint for an eco-city that balances modern and green principles. The new city encourages walking, cycling, recycling, zero-energy buildings and 'slow living'.

· The one child policy after 25 years - Dr Therese Hesketh, UCL Centre for International Health and Development, has collaborated with Zhejiang University to explore current attitudes towards the one child policy, and psychosocial differences between only children and those with siblings.

· A biomarker for high risk hepatitis B carriers in southern China - Dr Tim Harrison, UCL Division of Medicine, is working with Guangxi scientists on a new biomarker to identify male hepatitis B carriers who are at high risk of developing liver cancer. Primary liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in men worldwide; half of all cases occur in China, and patients usually die within months.

· Sign bilingualism in deaf children in Hong Kong - Professor Bencie Woll, UCL Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre, is collaborating with the Chinese University of Hong Kong to test a new model of education which involves mixing deaf and hearing students and teachers in mainstream school.

UCL Vice-Provost Professor Michael Worton says: "The UCL-China Research Festival will showcase existing partnerships and further possibilities of collaboration with China. The Chinese government has identified particular priority areas, and in some of these areas UCL has already established strong links with China, such as in biomaterials and sustainability, where we lead several UK-China research networks.

"UCL is the only UK university to have a Pro-Provost for China - Professor Moira Yip - and we are seeking both to attract talent from China via scholarships and to send more UK researchers to China. In partnership with the UK government, the China Scholarship Council, and generous alumni-funded scholarships, we are providing funding for a growing number of Chinese PhD students, post-docs, and also (as of next year) for visiting PhD students. Several of our academic staff have appointments at major Chinese universities, and visit regularly."

Notes for Editors

1. The UCL-China Research Festival is on Friday 13 June 2008 from 9 am to 5 pm at University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT. More information, including the programme, can be found at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/global/china/CRF-08/.

2. Journalists who wish to interview a speaker or obtain copies of the talk abstracts should contact Dominique Fourniol in the UCL Media Relations Office on tel: +44 (0)20 7679 9728, out of hours +44 (0)7917 271 364, e-mail: d.fourniol@ucl.ac.uk.