One of my new contributors to this blog is Professor Mannie Liu. Located in Beijing, at the School of Finance, Renmin University of China, she also serves as the director of Private Equity and Venture Capital Research Center at the same location. A widely published author on private equity, and venture capital, she published the first book on private equity and venture capital in China in 1998.

The government has ambitious plans for the Renmin University Venture Capital Policy Research Center (RUVCP). It is after all, China's only venture institution and some academics realize that their role is to help steer a financial policy that will spur more entrepreneurship and support venture capital investment. With an increasing number of overseas Chinese graduates from MIT, Harvard and many more from Silicon Valley technology companies now returned home, the government wants to insure that there are fewer economic obstacles for innovation and small and medium size company development. These 'hai gui' an apparent pun on "sea turtle" and "returnees from the sea", are striking a higher profile in the government's funded science and technology parks.

The institute collaborates with Renmin University's venture capital Ph.D. program, the first and only one offered in China. This pioneering plan was initiated and bolstered by the political support of Professor Chen Siwei, vice chairman of the People's National Congress and an adjunct at Renmin University.

Comprised of an impressive board, including Professor Liu, Adjunct Professor Martin Haemming and James Ding, chairman of AsiaInfo Technologies (China) Ltd., this venture capital think tank mission is to influence and steer venture capital policy. They will also publish venture capital research in both Chinese and English. I look forward to Professor Liu's valuable insights on China's expanding venture capitalism march.