China is seen by many in the corporate world as a huge untapped market that is ready to explode with growth, and that belief has not been lost on tech transfer officials at the University of Massachussetts. The school’s president, Jack Wilson, and its Nobel Prize-winning biologist Craig Mello have been meeting with representatives of Tsinghua University, China’s leading research institution, and recently launched a “technology base” for UMass at Tsinghua’s Langfang science park in the Hebei province. Though still in its early relationship-building phase, the technology base is intended to function eventually as an incubator for Massachusetts technology companies looking to do business in the province. In return, staff at the base will train Tsinghua officials in the process of technology transfer. In later phases, the technology base staff (which may include UMass faculty) and local collaborators will help ease entry into the Chinese market for U.S. entrepreneurs who may be unfamiliar with the local business culture, legal framework, and market needs. Go to: http://www.xconomy.com/2007/07/17/umass-the-gateway-to-asia/

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