The pharmaceutical firm Bayer and Tsinghua University have agreed the sixth phase of a collaboration agreement as part of efforts to accelerate the translation of cutting-edge science into pharmaceutical innovation in China.

The agreement aims to further facilitate the translation of scientific research outcomes into drug discovery and development, focused on key selected areas of interest, such as oncology, cardiovascular and renal diseases, neurology and rare diseases, and immunology, accelerating cutting-edge scientific research across the pharmaceutical value chain.

Under the agreement, Bayer will continue to provide funding and support for joint research projects over the next three years, as well as to scientists at Tsinghua in recognition of their outstanding contributions in life sciences and pharmaceutical innovation, and further enhance scientific research exchanges and discussions between the two parties.

"The innovation ecosystem in China is rapidly evolving, marked with remarkable advancements in scientific and medical research," said Christian Rommel, global head of research and development at Bayer.

"This progress is driven by the dedicated efforts and strong collaborations among innovators of science and business.

"We are proud that our partnership with Tsinghua University has set a benchmark for scientific research collaboration between multinational pharmaceutical companies and high-profile academic institutions in China.

"We look forward to this strategic alliance continuing to expand the frontiers of cutting-edge science and translating groundbreaking discoveries into transformative treatments for patients," he added.

Tsinghua Vice-President and School of Life Sciences professor Wang Hongwei said the partnership with the German multinational had become a model for other institutions in China to follow.

"Over the past 16 years, Tsinghua University and Bayer have forged a trusted and synergistic partnership that has continuously advanced the integration of scientific discovery and pharmaceutical innovation," Wang, who was the Bayer Endowed Chair 2018, said.

"This collaboration has supported cutting-edge research targeting major global health challenges and has become a model for end-to-end cooperation between Chinese universities and international pharmaceutical companies."

As part of its long-term commitment to China, Bayer states that it attaches great importance to academic collaborations with local research institutions and supports emerging innovation and drug research in the country. The company established strategic partnerships with Tsinghua in 2009 and Peking University in 2014.

To date, Bayer and the two universities have collaborated on more than 100 research projects, covering discovery and structural analysis of novel targets, pathogenesis and drug mechanism of action research, drug screening, efficacy evaluation, as well as exploration of new modalities, synthetic methods and innovative formulations.