The Australian National University (ANU) will help develop the next generation of small electronic devices under a new $1.75 million investment from China’s Guangdong Fenghua Advanced Technology Company, announced on Monday.

The Guangdong Fenghua Advanced Technology Corporation is the biggest producer of small electronic devices in China. The investment with the ANU will fund the ANU-Fenghua Joint Research and Development Centre. The research from this Centre will be used in various small device applications.

The ANU-Fenghua Joint Research and Development Centre will be based at the Research School of Chemistry and be headed by Professor Yun Liu. It will develop materials for use in small electronic devices.

Acting ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington said the Centre represents the University’s commitment to cutting-edge research and its ability to work with industry to get research into the hands of the world’s consumers.

“This collaboration joins an impressive list of collaborations between the ANU and China,” Professor Hughes-Warrington said.

“We have Memorandum of Understandings, Student Exchange Agreements and Cooperative Agreements with a total of 45 institutions. Furthermore, over 3,000 students from China studied here in 2014.”

The Guangdong Fenghua Advanced Technology Company will invest $1.75 million into the Centre over five years.

A delegation from the Guangdong Province was at ANU for the opening of the Centre.

The delegation was led by the Vice-Governor of Guangdong Mr Yunxian Chen and included senior Guangdong Government officials, the President and Vice-President of the Guangdong Fenghua Advanced Technology Corporation and Education officials.

Guangdong is the richest province in China, with a GDP almost the size of Australia’s. In 2013, Gaungdong spent approximately $30 billion on research and development initiatives.