June 21 (Science Times) -- The Tsinghua-MIT-CUHK Research Center for Theoretical Computer Science was inaugurated at Tsinghua University today. The Research Center is the first joint venture of its kind that MIT has established in China. It is also the first established by Tsinghua University with a top American university in the field of theoretical computer science. Prof. Chen Xi, Deputy Secretary of Party Committee and Vice Minister of Education, Academician Gu Binglin, President of Tsinghua University, Prof. Andrew Yao, A.M. Turing Award laureate in the year 2000, member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Susan Hockfield, MIT President and Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice Chancellor Designate of CUHK, together with delegates from the three universities, students and faculty members of the Institute for Theoretical Computer Science (ITCS), Tsinghua University joined the Inauguration Ceremony.

Great attention has been focused on the field of theoretical computer science which is the basis of computer science. The Research Center has been co-founded by ITCS of Tsinghua, the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) of MIT and the Institute of Theoretical Computer Science and Communications (ITCSC) of CUHK. Its initial research agenda is broadly based on algorithm design, complexity analysis, computational security and quantum computing. And this will gradually expand to include various other research areas in the field of computer science, such as computational biology and machine learning. It provides an important platform for international exchange of both students and faculty members in the field.

Prof. Yao introduced the management model and joint programs of the Research Center. The directors of the Steering Committee are Si Yuan, Vice President of Tsinghua University, Philip Khoury, Associate Provost Office of the Provost, MIT and Pak-chung Ching, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK. The co-directors are Andrew Chi-Chih Yao on behalf of Tsinghua and CUHK and Silvio Micali on behalf of MIT. The Research Center will carry out exchange programs of students and faculty members as well as joint projects among the three universities. It aims to further expand China’s influence in computer science and push forward its progress through student exchange and cooperation.