Photo: Freepik.
According to a report by MercoPress, on Thursday, April 10, 2025, the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, together with the People's Republic of China, inaugurated a bio-nanopharmaceutical laboratory in Montevideo, with the goal of promoting scientific innovation.
This collaboration between the two countries was established through two universities: from China, Qingdao University; and from Uruguay, the University of the Republic (Udelar).
The Sino-Uruguayan infrastructure is the result of an agreement between Uruguay's Ministry of Education and Culture and China's Ministry of Science and Technology. The laboratory will focus on research in areas such as biosensors, biomaterials, and nanopharmaceuticals.
In this regard, Álvaro Mombrú, director of the University of the Republic, stated, “It is a source of pride and a challenge. We hope to cooperate as expected for this joint laboratory.” He also emphasized the importance of the partnership with Qingdao University, which began in 2017 with the establishment of the Confucius Institute in Montevideo.
Wang Fei, a researcher and professor at Qingdao University, said that the laboratory has already carried out joint projects in nanotechnological biosensors, nanodrug delivery, and implantable biomaterials.
Huang Yazhong, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Uruguay, stated that the laboratory project is a significant initiative that reflects the cooperation between both nations. He also highlighted the bilateral economic ties and noted that collaboration has extended across various areas of technology and science. He recalled the joint soybean research project conducted with Uruguay's National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA).
On the Uruguayan side, Rodrigo Arim, director of the Office of Planning and Budget (OPP), said that President Yamandú Orsi considers China a key partner for bilateral cooperation that can contribute to development in different fields.
In its first phase, the laboratory will focus on research projects for the “rational administration of active products in specific pathologies through the use of advanced bio and nanotechnologies.”
Udelar will host researchers from Qingdao University this April. Likewise, Uruguayan researchers will travel to the Chinese institution in June. In this context, the former rector of Udelar stated that the achievements reached so far through cooperation in recent years should be celebrated.
The first step toward this project took place in 2019, when Udelar requested the creation of a joint bio-nanopharmaceutical laboratory. The agreement was finalized at the end of 2022 during the Science and Technology Commission attended by both nations.
Subsequently, in November 2023, the agreement was signed, enabling China's Ministry of Science and Technology to open a call for proposals. In May, Qingdao University was selected to lead the project.
Main Source:
Sino-Uruguayan bio-nano-pharma lab launched in Montevideo – Merco Press
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