Huawei Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou is currently on bail after being illegally arrested in Canada in early December last year.Previously, she had conveyed her current situation and mental journey to the outside world through Moments and diaries.Recently, Meng Wanzhou submitted an article to the Japanese media, describing the cooperation between Huawei and universities, and talking about Oxford University's suspension of Huawei's funding.
According to a report by the Nikkei Chinese website on January 25, Meng Wanzhou submitted an article to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Chinese version: Nikkei Chinese website) titled Why Huawei values collaboration with universities.
The article was adapted from an unpublished speech Meng gave in Singapore last year and handed over to the Nikkei Asian Review after Oxford University decided this month to stop accepting research funding from Huawei, the report said.
Regarding the University of Oxford's initiative, Meng Wanzhou stated in her contribution: Huawei has never thought of obtaining various patents or research results from its partners, and will continue to fund basic research that can bring about scientific and technological progress in the future.
The full text of Meng Wanzhou's contribution is as follows:
Universities, born in medieval Europe, existed for centuries mainly to transmit the knowledge of that era to the next generation.The development of human knowledge, at that time, was mainly accumulated by people working under the guild system.However, experience accumulation at the industry level and university research seldom overlap.
However, the relationship between academia and industry changed in the era of the Industrial Revolution.Universities have changed from simply spreading knowledge to being at the forefront of pursuing knowledge.James middot; Watt developed the modern steam engine when he was at the University of Glasgow responsible for repairing the inefficient steam engine in its infancy.The steam engine was then widely used in manufacturing and transportation.
From the 1940s to the 1950s, private enterprises and research institutions began to play a certain role in the field of basic research.AT&T's Bell Laboratories develops transistors, lasers, and information theory.With the development of integrated circuits by Texas Instruments (TI), the era of Moore's Law came.
Universities and businesses are now more closely aligned than ever before.Universities are at the forefront of basic theoretical research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), while technology leaders such as Google, Facebook, Tesla, and Huawei are working to put the theory into practical use.
Nearly half of the 180,000 Huawei employees are involved in research and development.The research and development expenses in the past 10 years have exceeded 60 billion US dollars, and it is planned to invest 15 billion to 20 billion US dollars in the next few years.
Our success and survival as an IT business depends on the R&D department's ability to accurately anticipate developments in communications technology.In order to see the future clearly and cultivate an open corporate culture, we have always encouraged employees to appreciate a cup of coffee to absorb the energy of the universe.The implication of this sentence is that it is very important not to just focus on work, but to take time out once in a while, to get together and let various ideas collide with each other.
In order to cultivate external cooperation, the Huawei Innovation Research Program (HIRP) has been launched, and a virtual coffee bar has been built for universities and research institutions around the world, where everyone can exchange ideas.First launched in Europe in 2010.The most probable scenarios are funded through this program.Through HIRP, we work closely with scholars from the world's top 100 universities and national research institutions in more than 30 countries.
We expanded HIRP in 2014 to support scientists whose fundamental research directions are aligned with Huawei's business.The number of projects supported by HIRP exceeds 1200, many of which have been successfully commercialized.For example, the noise reduction technology jointly developed by Huawei and the Technical University of Munich in Germany has been used in mobile phones.In addition, Professor Josef Nossek, an academician of the German National Academy of Engineering, proposed the idea of applying wireless technology to optical communication, which greatly reduces the power consumption of chips used in optical transmission products.
Some people seem to have doubts, but Huawei has never thought of obtaining various patents or research results from its partners.The University of Oxford has decided that new projects will no longer accept financial assistance from Huawei, but our purpose is to learn from the success and failure of researchers.
This kind of open collaboration is the only way to bridge the gap between science and commercial applications.For this, not only money is needed, but also patience.Because it takes decades for some basic theories to be put into practical application.
Only when universities and enterprises begin to cooperate with each other can this time barrier be eliminated.If universities do not conduct basic research, industry will have no theoretical basis.Without knowledge from industry and academia, we can only remain enclosed in the ivory tower.
The reason why Huawei provides funding to various universities is because it recognizes that the scientific research pursued in universities is like a beacon that illuminates the direction of future development.Scientists are the owners of the lighthouse, and research results can be commercialized according to the researcher's own preferences.
Huawei will continue to fund basic research that can bring scientific and technological progress in the future.Such cooperative activities will not only help Huawei's business activities, but will also contribute to society and the entire industry.
(Note: The original text of the submission is in English, and the Chinese content published on the Nikkei Chinese website is translated from the Japanese original.)
Turn the page to view the full text of Meng Wanzhou's contribution in English
Why Huawei values collaboration with universities
Meng Wanzhou
Universities originated in medieval Europe, where for centuries they existed mainly to pass existing knowledge on to subsequent generations. Advances in human knowledge were driven primarily by craftsmen working in guilds. Industrial craftsmanship and university research rarely crossed paths.
That changed during the Industrial Revolution, when universities went from simply disseminating knowledge to pushing back its frontiers. James Watt developed the modern steam engine while repairing an inefficient early model at the University of Glasgow. His refinements led to the wide spread use of steam power formanufacturing and transport.
Private companies and institutes began playing a role in basic research in the 1940s and 1950s. ATTs Bell Labs invented the transistor, the laser, and information theoy while an engineer from Texas Instruments ushered in the era of Moores Law by inventing the integrated circuit.
Today, universities and companies are collaborating more closely than ever. Universities are leading the charge in basic theoretical research on artificial intelligence while leading companies like Google, Facebook, Tesla and Huawei Technologies are putting theories scholars to practical use.
Nearly half of Huaweis 180,000 employees are engaged in research and development. Over the past decade, we have invested $60 billion in RD and plan to spend $15 billion to $20 billion annually over the coming years.
As a tech company, our success -- indeed, our survival -- depends on how accurately our RD predicts the evolution of future communications technology. To get it right, we foster a culture of openness, encouraging employees to "absorb the energy ofthe universe over a cup of coffee.quot; This is a way of saying they should take time out of the work day to get together and bounce around ideas.
To foster collaboration externally, the Huawei Innovation Research Program provides a virtual coffee shop where we can exchange ideas with universities and research institutes around the world. First launched in Europe in 2010, the program funds proposals that offer the greatest potential. Th rough HIRP, we workclosely with most of the worlds top 100 universities and with scholars at 50 national laboratories in more than 30 countries.
In 2014, we expanded HIRP to support a wider range of scientists whose basic research aligns with our business. To date, the program has funded 1,200 projects, many of which have successfully been commercialized. For example, the noise canceling technolog y that wedeveloped together with the Technical University of Munich is used in mobile phones. We also work closely with Professor Josef Nossek, a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering, whose application of wireless concepts to optical communications has reduced the power consumption of chips usedin certain optical transmission products.
Contrary to what some have alleged, Huawei is not after our partnerspatents or research results. While we have noted Oxford Universitys decision to decline further funding for new projects from Huawei, our goal is only to learn from researchers successes and failures.
This type of open collaboration is the only way to close the gap between basic science and its commercial application. It requires not only funding but patience, as the journey from a basic theory to its practical adaptation may take decades.
We can only bridge this pide when universities and companies collaborate. Without basic research by universities, industrial development woullack theoretical foundations; without industry, knowledge would remain cloistered in the ivory towers of academia.
Huawei supports universities so that scientific research can be a lighthouse that illuminates a path toward the future. Scientists own the lighthouse, allowing them to commercialize the fruits of their research however they like.
Huawei will continue funding basic research that leads to advances in science and technology. This collaboration will benefit not only our own commercial efforts, but industry and society as a whole.
