Blog: Why the Fire Horse Year Belongs to ZJE

February 2026 heralds the arrival of the Year of the Fire Horse. Because there are five elements and 12 horoscopes, Fire Horses only come along every 60 years. Chinese horoscopes tell us such years are associated with major cultural shifts and an intense — sometimes volatile — energy that encourages courage, calculated risk-taking and the launch of ambitious new endeavours. The South China Morning Post recently reported that many fortune-tellers are already predicting the coming Fire Horse year will usher in significant technological advances, particularly in artificial intelligence and medicine. I do not consider myself a soothsayer, but I would suggest they might have gone further. I am prepared to forecast that Zhejiang University – University of Edinburgh (ZJE) will play a critical role in shaping these advances.

A decade ago, the University of Edinburgh and Zhejiang University came together around a shared vision: to deliver internationally collaborative, research-led education. As Executive Dean of ZJE, I am incredibly proud that the combined strength of these two world leading institutions continues to deliver world-class teaching and advanced knowledge through ground-breaking research.

Leading research-led biomedical education

ZJE stands out among UK–China partnerships for its bold and progressive approach to delivering high-quality, research-led biomedical education to generate new talent and future leaders in our field.

The demanding work of our teams is paying off. We now deliver fully integrated, co-designed and co-delivered undergraduate programmes that are carefully tailored to the needs of our students. Throughout their studies, students learn directly from active researchers. The curriculum supports progressive learning and assessment, while tutorial-based teaching strengthens academic skills and English language development.

We recruit around 150 undergraduates each year. They benefit from a high staff-to-student ratio and a comprehensive biomedical science curriculum. Strong international engagement enables pragmatic alignment of educational processes, ensuring compliance with both Ministry of Education (MoE) requirements and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

Looking back at the class of 2024, five students were named Provincial Excellent Graduates and a further 34 received Excellent Graduate awards at Zhejiang University. In addition, over 85% of the cohort wanted to pursue postgraduate study. All were successful in doing so. More than half are now undertaking doctoral degrees at global top 30 universities. Others have taken up positions in pharmaceutical, commercial and government research laboratories. This shows we produce graduates who are global citizens, able to thrive in the demanding environments of diverse, interdisciplinary teams and build successful careers. As such, they can contribute to addressing some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.

Building for the future

Within our ZJE community our research centre teams are our intellectual powerhouse — linking discovery to real-world biomedical challenges to make an impact. A summary of the centres gives a hint of what they are achieving:

Our teams at the Centre for Subcellular Biology and Signalling explores how cells communicate, adapt and malfunction at the most fundamental level. By understanding molecular signalling pathways, researchers can uncover the mechanisms that underpin development, ageing, and disease, providing the foundations for targeted therapies.

The teams at the Centre for Musculoskeletal Regeneration and Stem Cell Therapy focuses on restoring function to damaged tissues. Its work in stem cell biology, biomaterials and regenerative medicine addresses conditions linked to trauma, ageing and degenerative disease, offering practical routes towards repair rather than long-term management.

The teams at the Centre for Systems Biology and Data Science brings computational power to complex biological questions. By integrating large datasets, modelling biological systems and applying artificial intelligence, this centre accelerates discovery and enables predictive, precision approaches to medicine.

The Centre for Infection, Immunity and Cancer examines how the immune system interacts with pathogens and tumours. Insights from this work inform vaccine development, immunotherapies and strategies to manage emerging infectious diseases.

Finally, the Biomedical Health and Translational Research Centre ensures that discoveries move beyond the laboratory, linking research, clinical insight and industry collaboration to deliver innovations that improve health outcomes at scale. Our approach to building translational research capacity focuses on turning discovery into real-world impact — new therapies, diagnostics, technologies, policies and practices. This requires more than individual talent. It depends on four enabling pillars: robust infrastructure such as laboratories, clinical trial platforms, data systems and incubators; clear pathways for validation, regulation, ethics and scale-up; strong partnerships with industry, healthcare providers and policy actors; and effective support for intellectual property, funding and commercialisation.

In 2024, Biomedical Futures, hosted by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, showcased the breadth of opportunity ZJE offers across Zhejiang University and the University of Edinburgh, particularly within the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. We have come a long way and in 2026, we will create more opportunities for the involvement of UK–China biomedical entrepreneurs.

Central to this ambition is the work led by my colleagues Professor David Hay and Professor Di Chen who are advancing new models for translating research emerging from ZJE into tangible societal health benefit. This journey is embodied by the co-development of a Biomedical and Health Translational Research Centre with Juanhu Lake International Science Park. This will enable the exceptional talent from our teaching and research programmes to transform discovery into innovative, scalable healthcare technologies that address real-world heath needs.

The partnership between ZJU and UoE results in significant staff interaction through MSc, PhD and undergraduate exchanges. These researcher-to-researcher activities will be expanded as we enter the 10-year anniversary of this partnership.

Much is being celebrated this year of the fact that Edinburgh Medical School was founded 300 years ago. 1726 was also a Fire Horse year — which neatly illustrates the transformative impact such years can bring. When I asked AI what advice it had for success in the Year of the Fire Horse, it told me:

• Focus on planning: combine bold actions with strategic, thoughtful planning to avoid unnecessary risks.
• Embrace flexibility: be prepared for rapid, unexpected changes.
• Prioritise well-being: take time for rest and self-care to manage the high-energy, fast-paced nature of the year.

It struck me that this is close to the blueprint we have at ZJE for building a successful community of students and researchers who will be the next generation of leaders in biomedical sciences.

              新年快樂                                                                         Happy New Year                                                                  Bliadhna Mhath Úr