The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Max Planck Society (MPS) of Germany have set up a partnership research institute on computational biology in Shanghai.

Named the Computational Biology Institute, which will be administered under the Shanghai Municipal Academy of Life Sciences, the joint-project was inaugurated in Shanghai on Thursday.

Computational science is an amalgamation of biology, mathematics and computer science which studies the life sciences by application of theoretical matrix and numerical calculations.

Using computational biology to collect and analyze data in life sciences research helps scientists to better understand biological patterns and complexity and push forward research, said Chen Zhu, vice-chairman of CAS.

The Shanghai computational institute is aimed at advancing computational biology research and cultivating young scientists in this field in China.

CAS will perform the highest level of research in China. The MPS is the biggest research institution in Germany and is funded by the German government.

"The establishment of the Sino-German partnership for computational biology research has ushered in a new form of operation of institutes for new sciences research," said Lu Yongxiang, CAS president.

Andreas Dress, a professor with MPS and a world-renowned biomathematician, and Jin Li, a professor with the Biology College of Fudan University, will serve as the directors of the institute together.

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2005)