Harvard opens office in Shanghai

Harvard University and Harvard Business School announced yesterday the opening of a Harvard office in Shanghai and the university said it plans to open another office in Beijing in the fall.

The Shanghai office will house a Harvard Business School researcher and be part of a Harvard Business School network of international research centers that include researchers in Japan, India, Latin America, and Europe.

The Shanghai and Beijing "locations will enable Harvard University to explore a range of potential activities in support of its research and teaching programs," the university and the business school said in a press release.

The business school sometimes refers to itself by its initials - HBS.

In a statement, Harvard Business School dean Jay O. Light (right) said: "Harvard Business School has had a long-standing interest in and commitment to the region. Today, increasing numbers of HBS faculty list China among their top areas of geographical interest. The addition of this new office will add significantly to our research and our understanding of the world's fastest-growing economy. We look forward to working with and learning from Chinese business people, government officials, and many others in the years ahead."

The Harvard office in Shanghai will also serve the Harvard China Fund, which exists to support the university's engagement with China, Harvard said.

Launched in the fall of 2006, the fund is a university-wide "academic venture fund" to enhance Harvard's teaching and research about China, the university said.

In a statement, William C. Kirby, T. M. Chang professor of China Studies and Spangler Family professor of Business Administration at Harvard and chairman of the Harvard China Fund, said: "Through the resources of the Harvard China Fund, Harvard University will continue to investigate and increase its options in greater China. Generations of Harvard College students and Harvard graduate students will benefit greatly from these opportunities now and in the future, and these initial steps towards establishing a more comprehensive set of facilities in the region will further the university's research and teaching missions."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)