NINGBO, China: February 18, 2016. The government of Ningbo, China is partnering with the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) to create a global center for supply chain education and research.

The new facility will open in the fall of 2016 with its first students graduating a year later with a Masters degree modeled after the MIT Supply Chain Management Program. It will join the global MIT Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network which includes centers in Colombia, Spain, Luxembourg, and Malaysia.

“China is an essential component of nearly every global supply chain and nearly one billion tons of goods flow through Ningbo each year. Positioning a research institute at that crossroads of global commerce provides our faculty and students with a unique perspective,” said Yossi Sheffi, director of MIT CTL and the SCALE Network.

Launched in 2008, SCALE is an alliance of leading research and education centers spanning Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia with over 10 graduate and executive education programs, 80 supply chain and logistics faculty and research partners, 100 corporate and organization partners, and more than 1,000 alumni working worldwide.

Mayor of Ningbo Lu Ziyue commented: “Ningbo is already a global leader in cargo logistics and the new institute will be at a global vanguard of supply chain innovation and education. The continual flow of supply chain ideas and leaders will enable companies to further expand and diversify the economic growth of our region.”

MIT president Rafael Reif added: “The ability to manage these processes effectively has immense importance for society, from accelerating innovation to reducing carbon emissions. Given the scale and impact of Ningbo’s shipping operations, it will immediately become a central player in the MIT SCALE Network.”