I am very pleased to be able to participate in the research and development project of the next generation Internet technology, which is a collaboration between China’s Ministry of Education and Tsinghua University. This Future Internet Technology Research Centre to be established at Tsinghua will be named FIT for short. “FIT” carries connotations of strength, suitability, and readiness, and it is a very appropriate acronym for this high-tech centre.
Asian countries are some ways behind the West in the research and application of the first generation Internet. But I believe that we will not fall too far behind the West in the development and application of Internet 2. In the future, 3rd Generation mobile phones and Internet 2 will be widely used, and information will become an integral part of our daily lives. Data transmission and the development of software and hardware will present new challenges for academic research and commercial applications.
It is an honour for our Foundation to be able to collaborate with the Ministry of Education and Tsinghua University on this important project. As with other universities, Tsinghua has been developing an education web, which has enabled many mainland institutions to establish links with their overseas counterparts. Not only does this promote more academic exchanges, it can also broaden the students’ scope of learning.
I have high hopes that this meaningful research project will yield significant findings and that it can contribute to next generation Internet technology, the development of science education, and our nation’s goal of “revitalization through science and education”.
This research project was made possible by the extraordinary vision of the Ministry of Education and Tsinghua University, and it will contribute greatly to our nation’s technological development. I take this opportunity to wish the project every success.