“Complementing our own capabilities, strategic alliances with international innovation partners from academia are one essential element of our R&D strategy”, said Professor Andreas Busch, Head of Global Drug Discovery and member of the Board of Management of Bayer Schering Pharma AG, the pharmaceutical division of Bayer HealthCare. “We are very excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the excellent scientists at Tsinghua University.“

The newly established joint Research Center is part of an initiative of Bayer HealthCare’s new R&D Center in Beijing where its scientists from the Global Drug Discovery - Innovation Center expedite new innovative approaches for the discovery of new therapies through research collaborations. At the Bayer-Tsinghua Research Center, scientists from the Institute of Biomedicine, the Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, the School of Medicine, and the Department of Chemistry of Tsinghua University will collaborate with scientists from Bayer Schering Pharma’s Global Drug Discovery along the drug discovery and development value chain in the therapeutic research areas of oncology, women’s health, diagnostic imaging, and cardiology. Through this collaboration, Tsinghua scientists will make substantial contributions with their research findings to the discovery of new medicines.

“We will immediately start with the faculty recruiting and selection process for our joint research center assembling a highly skilled and motivated team of scientists to facilitate an inspiring and innovative environment” said Prof. Yigong Shi, the newly appointed Director of the Bayer-Tsinghua Research Center. “We plan to officially inaugurate the joint center after the first group of faculty members are confirmed.”

As part of this strategic partnership, Bayer Schering Pharma is planning to promote life science education as well as to reward scientific excellence at Tsinghua. For these purposes two funds will be launched: a "Student Fund" and a "Faculty Fund". The “Student Fund” will enable a variety of Bayer sponsored life science programs at Tsinghua, including student and scientist exchange programs between Tsinghua and Bayer Schering Pharma. The “Faculty Fund” will reward creative individuals for their significant contributions to life sciences and cutting-edge research in drug discovery, in particular in the fields of Bayer Schering Pharma’s core therapeutic areas.

“The initiation of the cooperation with Tsinghua University is a very important step for us in the establishment of a strong collaboration network with our Chinese partners”,
said Andreas Busch.

About Bayer
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Bayer Schering Pharma, Consumer Care and Medical Care divisions. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

About Bayer Schering Pharma
Bayer Schering Pharma is a worldwide leading specialty pharmaceutical company. Its research and business activities are focused on the following areas: Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Specialty Medicine and Women's Healthcare. With innovative products, Bayer Schering Pharma aims for leading positions in specialized markets worldwide. Using new ideas, Bayer Schering Pharma aims to make a contribution to medical progress and strives to improve the quality of life. Find more information at www.bayerscheringpharma.de.


Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.