On 22 March 2018, the Ministry of Education in China formally approved the establishment of a "bioinformatics" undergraduate programme to be delivered by Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute. This was followed by approval from The University of Edinburgh on 4 April 2018. This is the second undergraduate major established by the institute after the BSc Integrative Biomedical Sciences programme in 2015.
Biomedical Informatics is the study of a combination of biomedical sciences and informatics. It encompasses all aspects of the acquisition, processing, storage, distribution, analysis, and interpretation of biological and medical information. It also integrates the use of mathematics, computer science, biology, and medicine. Biomedical Informatics is seen as a virtual tool in helping explain and further understand the biological and medical implications of large amounts of data, meeting the urgent needs of biomedical research and hospital precision medicine.
This new specialty is based on the combined knowledge and expertise of colleagues from Zhejiang University and The University of Edinburgh. Both Universities are leaders in Chinese and Western education and aim to cultivate outstanding biomedical informatics talents, with the knowledge, innovative attitudes and international perspectives to succeed.
The programme will be taught by faculty specialising in biology, medicine, and bioinformatics across Zhejiang University and The University of Edinburgh. The curriculum will also be designed specifically for the students at ZJE, with collaboration from both Universities.
All programmes at ZJE emphasise the integration of courses in a variety of ways; in learning, in discussion, and in experimentation. This means that students learn not only in the classroom, but also after each lesson. They understand the importance of gaining knowledge, but also in the cultivation of practical abilities.
Every bioinformatics undergraduate student will be equipped with an Academic Advisor who will provide them with personalised guidance in both professional and research areas. The programme will be taught entirely in English.
The BSc Biomedical Informatics programme will recruit undergraduate students globally in the spring of 2018, who will be jointly trained by outstanding teachers from Zhejiang University and the University of Edinburgh. After graduation, students will receive dual bachelor's degrees from Zhejiang University and The University of Edinburgh.
(source: ZJU-UoE Institute)
