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Peking University, Nov. 17, 2011: Peking University has recently received US$10 million donation to establish the IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU (IMIBR-PKU) and support its operations for the first 10 years.

The agreement was signed on November 8th between Patrick McGovern, chairman of International Data Group Inc. (IDG) and co-founder of the McGovern Institute at MIT, and PKU President Zhou Qifeng, in Linhuxuan at PKU. Co-founder of the McGovern Institute at MIT, Patrick McGovern's wife Laura Happ McGovern, and top officials of IDG and PKU were also present.

PKU President Zhou Qifeng signing an agreement with Patrick McGovern

Under the agreement, two foundations, the IDG China Foundation and the Harmony Foundation, which will raise additional funds with the help from IDG,  will also be established to ensure the institute’s long-term future.

President Zhou first acknowledged the McGoverns and IDG for sponsoring IMIBR-PKU in his speech, which “will provide a free environment for researchers to make achievements for the well-being of humankind.” The institute would also be open to researchers the world over who were interested in brain research. Zhou also expected it to should the responsibility of training graduates and young talented researchers while benefiting the scientific researches and academic atmosphere of PKU.

Patrick McGovern was very glad to sign up the agreement with PKU to establish a new brain research institute. “A comprehensive understanding of human brain will not just be a dream. I believed that the institute will generate a series of achievements for curing brain diseases. I feel proud being part of the process and working hard for realizing the dream.”

As early as in 2001, PKU set up the Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences to carry out many cross-disciplinary researches in brain sciences. Department of Psychology fundamental studies in brain sciences. Apart from them, IMIBR-PKU will also collaborate with PKU-THU Joint Center for Life Science, PKU’s Health Science Center and its affiliated hospitals, aiming at carrying out world-class researches on behavior neuroscience, genetic neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience.

The McGoverns have long been sponsoring education and scientific researches, especially in the field of brain sciences. In 2000, they donated MIT to set up the first McGovern Institute for Brain Research, which is devoted to studying the mechanism of the brain and related diseases, such as autism, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and language disorder. They and PKU leaders have paid several visits to each other during the last few years, and decided to build another institute in PKU through communication and mutual understanding. A similar agreement was signed with Tsinghus University earlier this year, dated back to April 22.

Written by: Yuan Xichen
Edited by: Chen Long
Source: PKU News (Chinese)