Innovation and collaboration in Higher Education - Ministerial Trip To China
Dean of Internationalisation, Professor Richard Luther, has recently returned from a ministerial trip to China. The focus of the official visit was to explore innovation and higher education collaboration between the UK and China. Professor Luther was part of a high-level delegation led by the UK Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Jo Johnson.
The programme of events for the Ministerial Delegation included a meeting with the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology, Wan Gang. The delegation also attended the Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai, where the UK was country of honour. This served to showcase the excellent links which UK universities such as Keele have with China, as well as the close cooperation between research funders and research in both countries.
Keele’s academic partnerships in China include disciplines currently prioritised by Chinese government in their most recent Five Year Plan, such as Biotechnology and Energy/ Environment.
Professor Luther commented:
“Keele has a number of existing partnerships with Chinese institutions, and this year we signed a university level Memorandum of Understanding with Tongji University. Both universities are currently making arrangements for the first cohort of visiting PhD students to Keele, some of whom I had the pleasure to meet during my trip to Shanghai. They were looking forward to visiting the UK, and we in return are looking forward to welcoming them to the Keele campus.”
The delegation in China also participated in the Innovation is GREAT Showcase Event, a one-day conference where the delegation held meetings with Chinese academic and business representatives and senior members from the Chinese Government.
The schedule also included a visit to Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University in Suzhou, which is the first Sino-British joint venture between research led universities, where delegates witnessed an address from the Minister to staff and students and took a tour of the facilities.