TUS International Limited and Tus-Star, affiliated with Tus-Holdings, a subsidiary of Tsinghua Holdings, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the University of Michigan on building a China-US technology incubation base that promotes commercialization of technological achievements in colleges and on setting up a venture capital fund focused on intelligent transportation and intelligent manufacturing.

TUS International, Tus-Star, and University of Michigan sign a strategic cooperation agreement on Jan 18.

S. Jack Hu, vice president of research at the University of Michigan; Zhang Jinsheng, vice president of Tus-Holdings and chairman of Tus-Star; and Shen Xiao, executive director and general manager of TUS International signed the agreement, on Jan 18.

According to the agreement, there will be deep cooperation in University of Michigan’s leading research fields such as biological medicine, artificial intelligence, intelligent manufacturing, and engineering sciences.

The technology incubation base to be built by TUS International and Tus-Star is expected to support student entrepreneurial education, boost commercialization of technology and international transfer and cultivate innovative programs. The base will be backed and connected with over 160 incubation bases of Tus-Holdings.

The initial incubation focus will be “intelligent transportation" and "unmanned driving", proposed by TUS International and Tus-Star.

Before the cooperation agreement with University of Michigan, TUS International signed an MOU with Tsinghua University’s Suzhou Automotive Research Institute on establishing a new eco-system for connected and smart automobile industries in 2016.

The University of Michigan has established a test site for connected and automated vehicles, MCity, which is the first of its kind globally.

By doing so, TUS International’s cooperation agreement with the university highlights the desire to start business in intelligent transportation and smart and connected automobiles supported by research achievements and resources of University of Michigan and Tsinghua University.

Ma Zhigang, chairman of TUS International and director of Tus-Holdings, speaks at a meeting.

Ma Zhigang, chairman of TUS International and director of Tus-Holdings, said the cooperation will help the University of Michigan and enterprises in the central and western part of the US to enter and explore more opportunities in Chinese markets. In addition, it will enable Tus-Holdings to access American talent and technology through mutual cooperation.

S. Jack Hu, Vice President of University of Michigan, speaks at the meeting.

University of Michiganvice president S. Jack Hu said,"We look forward to cooperating with Tus Holdings on technology incubation and investment. The commercialization of the university’s technologies needs industrial support, and the cooperation will bring a win-win situation."

"The combination of the university’s technology transfer and Tus International/Tus-Star’s rich experience in incubation and investment will help improve the university’s business distribution in the entire industrial chain,” said Hu, adding that the university will also carry out cooperation with Tus-Holdings in intelligent network connections, the transport industry, automation and big data.

Zhang Jinsheng, vice president of Tus-Holdings and chairman of Tus-Star, speaks at the meeting.

Tus-Star was established in 1999 and has established more than 80 incubators in 50 Chinese cities and its international incubation network has reached some foreign countries including the US, Germany, Canada, the UK and South Korea, said Zhang Jinsheng, vice president of Tus-Holdings and chairman of Tus-Star.