German company ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a leading global supplier of automobile parts, is boosting the cultivation of local talent by extending its involvement in higher education in China.

The company said it will provide five-year funding for an endowed chair of passenger car chassis technology and dynamics at the Sino-German School for Postgraduate Studies, or CDHK, at Tongji University in Shanghai.

"China is an important market for the automotive industry -- a market that is also becoming increasingly important to ZF. The group has continually grown market shares in the country over the past few years," said Ye Guohong, president of ZF (China) Investment Co Ltd.

In the 2011 fiscal year, ZF generated sales of 1.5 billion euros ($1.91 billion) in China, 14 percent more than in the previous year. In the first quarter of 2012, ZF managed to increase its sales by 28 percent compared with the previous year.

"In order to further consolidate and expand our position in China, we also need qualified junior staff that will see ZF as an attractive employer and develop forward-looking solutions for us," Ye said.

Funding has initially been earmarked for five years. The collaboration between ZF and the CDHK will be expanded gradually until August 2017, with joint research projects and international internships.

Professor Yu Zhuoping, who is also the Dean of the School of Automotive Studies at Tongji University, was appointed as the leading professor of the new chair.

wanghongyi@chinadaily.com.cn