From October 30 to November 5, President Xuan Fuzhen led a delegation to visit several prestigious institutions, including the Technical University of Berlin, the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials, Aachen University of Technology, the National Institute of Higher Education in Chemistry of Lille, and Lorraine University in France. During the visit, the delegation also met with local alumni and visiting students.
During the visit to the Technical University of Berlin, the delegation held talks with Vice President Stephan Völker, Professor Dietmar Werner Auhl, and others. Both sides agreed that the collaboration between our university and the Technical University of Berlin, initiated in 2005, has been fruitful. To further elevate this cooperation, the two parties agreed to focus on enhancing collaboration in engineering, establishing joint research centers, developing high-quality study abroad programs, and cultivating top-tier innovative talent.
At the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials, the delegation engaged in in-depth discussions with Director Professor Dierk Raabe, Professor Dirk Ponge, and others. Both parties agreed that our university's focus on energy, materials, health, and safety aligns closely with the institute's research on sustainable materials in energy and biomedicine. The cooperation prospects were deemed promising. Both sides agreed to integrate their strengths to carry out joint research and graduate student joint training.
During the visit to Aachen University of Technology, the delegation met with Professor Ulrich Schwaneberg, Director of the Institute of Biotechnology, and Sara Wigger, Director of International Strategy. They reached a clear consensus on collaborating in biotechnology, functional materials, and green chemistry. The delegation also visited related cutting-edge laboratories and held a seminar for young scholars to lay the foundation for future talent exchange and research cooperation.
While in Germany, the delegation visited the Chinese Embassy in Germany, where they were warmly received by Minister-Counselor Liu Lixin. President Xuan introduced the university's measures and achievements in open education and actively serving national strategies. Minister-Counselor Liu highly praised the university's development achievements and expressed hope that the university would make full use of its alumni resources in Germany to expand and deepen cooperation with Germany, with continuous support from the embassy.
During the visit to the National Institute of Higher Education in Chemistry of Lille, the delegation held talks with President Rose-Noëlle Vannier, who is also the Chair of the French Chemical Engineering Schools Alliance (FGL), Audrey Soric, President of the National Institute of Higher Education in Chemistry of Rennes, and Jacques Mercadier, Director of the French Branch of the National Institute for Academic Excellence. President Xuan acknowledged FGL's key support in the development of the International Institute of Excellence in Engineering at our university and both sides agreed to deepen Sino-French educational cooperation through the certification work for the French Engineers Title Committee (CTI). They also agreed to work together to create a new paradigm for cultivating outstanding engineers. During this visit, President Xuan signed a cooperation agreement with FGL and attended the sixth joint management committee meeting of the National Institute for Academic Excellence, opening a new chapter in the cooperation.
At Lorraine University, the delegation met with Vice President Cécile Nouvel, Director of the National Laboratory of Chemistry and Process Engineering Marie-Odile Simonnot, Alain Durand, President of the National School of Chemical and Industrial Engineering of Nancy, and Professor Hu Guohua, a member of the European Academy of Sciences and a professor at Lorraine University. Based on the complementary strengths of both universities in the field of chemical engineering, both sides agreed to deepen their partnership, with joint research as the core focus. They also emphasized promoting cooperation in teaching and research for young faculty members, expanding the scope of student exchange, and building a regular exchange mechanism. During the meeting, President Xuan awarded a scholarship certificate for studying abroad in China to Lorraine University and invited French young students and scholars to participate in projects such as “YES” and “Advanced Workshops” in China to foster understanding and strengthen mutual trust.
This visit is an important implementation of the university's action plan to enhance international influence and the 3 Years, 10,000 Students, Doubling in Europe initiative. The delegation included members from the President's Office, International Cooperation and Exchange Office, School of Chemical Engineering, and School of Mechanical Engineering.
