HKUST(GZ) Delegation Visits Six UK Universities
From September 20 to 23, Professor Lionel Ni, President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (HKUST(GZ)), led a delegation to the United Kingdom, which was the first stop of the University’s six-country European tour this year.
During the visit the delegation hosted a series of “Global Open Day” events and met with the leadership of several top universities, reaching cooperation consensuses on student exchange, joint research, innovation and entrepreneurship, and other key topics.
President Ni met with Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol and Chair of the Russell Group; Lord Nicholas Stern, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and former Chief Economist of the World Bank; Professor Emma McCoy, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at LSE; Professor Graham Virgo, Master of Downing College at the University of Cambridge; Sir David King, former UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser.
He also met Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) at the University of Birmingham; and Professor Yang Hao, Deputy Vice Principal for Strategic Research at Queen Mary University of London. Delegation members held in-depth discussions with relevant faculties at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and Imperial College London on inter-institutional cooperation.
On September 20, the delegation hosted the “Global Open Day” series in London and, together with the University of Bristol, co-organized the roundtable forum Innovative Connections: UK–China University Dialogue on Impactful Research, formally launching the UK leg of the visit.
On the morning of September 21, President Ni visited LSE and met with Lord Nicholas Stern. President Ni introduced HKUST(GZ)’s latest practices in interdisciplinary education, education reform, impactful research and internationalization, and stressed that sustainable development—spanning policy, science and industrialization—is a priority area for the University. The two sides discussed areas of mutual interest and the signing of a framework agreement.
The delegation also met with Professor Emma McCoy, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), and Professor Elizabeth Aitken, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), and their teams.
The two sides noted their complementary strengths and held in-depth discussions on interdisciplinary education, artificial intelligence and student learning, education reform, summer schools, international cooperation, and innovation and entrepreneurship, reaching broad consensus.
At President Ni’s invitation, Lord Stern and Professor McCoy looked forward to visiting HKUST(GZ) at a suitable time to deepen exchanges and advance cooperation.
Signing of the Joint Research Agreement with University of Bristol
On the same day, the delegation traveled to the University of Bristol. Faculty teams from both universities first held in-depth discussions on relevant topics, further consolidating consensus on deeper cooperation and proposing to leverage joint projects to enrich the Guangzhou–Bristol sister-city relationship.
Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, received the delegation at the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus together with her senior management team. The two universities held high-level talks and a signing ceremony for a joint research funding agreement.
Professor Oliver Quick, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International Partnerships and Reputation Management), Professor Liang-Fong Wong, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International Education), Professor Charl Faul, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), and Professor Melissa Allen, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), attended the relevant events.
President Ni congratulated the University of Bristol on its 150th anniversary. He said the two universities will implement their strategic cooperation agreement and deepen collaboration in student exchange, innovation and joint research. Building on the Guangzhou–Bristol sister-city bond, they will advance the Young Ambassadors programme and both cities’ innovation-driven development.
Professor Evelyn Welch noted that the HKUST(GZ) delegation was the first international delegation since the new campus opened. She praised the strong cooperation between the two universities over the past year, noting that Bristol’s first cohort of 20 Young Ambassadors visited HKUST(GZ) from June to August for summer programmes, where they experienced the dynamism of the University and the Greater Bay Area first-hand, earning wide student acclaim. The signing of the joint research funding agreement marks an important milestone in the two universities’ strategic cooperation.
Professor Welch also explored innovative cooperation pathways with the delegation to amplify their partnership’s impact through sister-city and China–UK higher-education exchanges.
Consensus Reached with the University of Cambridge
On the morning of September 22, President Ni led the delegation to the University of Cambridge, calling on the team of Professor Graham Virgo, Master of Downing College, and Sir David King, former UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser.
President Ni reviewed HKUST(GZ)’s exchanges with Cambridge and Downing College, noting their shared academic philosophy and his hope of building two-way talent mobility channels.
During the talks, the two sides reached consensus on faculty and student visits and research collaboration, and shared experience on interdisciplinary talent cultivation and residential-college management models.
That afternoon, President Ni led the delegation to the University of Birmingham, exchanging views with Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), and Professor Francis Pope, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (China). As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Birmingham–Guangzhou sister-city relationship, President Ni said he looked forward to exploring a "Guangzhou–Birmingham Model" focused on student exchange, research collaboration and knowledge transfer, and the two teams will accelerate their work to turn consensus into action.
During the visit, President Ni also held in-depth exchanges with Professor Yang Hao, Deputy Vice Principal for Strategic Research at Queen Mary University of London, on innovatively advancing cooperation between the two universities.
On the morning of September 22, Professor Lei Chen, Dean of the Information Hub, and Professor Robert Zhong Qi, Acting Dean of the Systems Hub, led a team to the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge for academic exchange and met the University’s International Office representatives.
On the same day, Professor Kejun Jiang, Thrust Head of the Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change Thrust, led a team to Oxford’s Prospects and Global Development Institute, exchanging with Dean Shidong Wang on student study-abroad, psychological crisis-prevention training, teacher development and inter-institutional activities.
On September 23, Professor Robert Qi led a team to the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial College London, discussing joint research and faculty-student mobility with Professor Daniele Dini, Vice-Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Engineering.
The UK leg was the first stop of HKUST(GZ)’s six-country European tour this year. After completing the UK itinerary, the delegation continued to France, Spain, Serbia, North Macedonia and Turkey for further exchanges.
The delegation also included Professor Huihe Qiu, Thrust Head of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Thrust; Professor Kai Tang, Thrust Head of the Smart Manufacturing Thrust; Professor Pan Hui, Acting Thrust Head of the Computational Media and Arts Thrust; Professor Tai Kai Ng, Pillar Head of the STEM Education Pillar; Professor Mingming Fan, Acting Base Head of the Red Bird MPhil Base; and Mr. Jing Fu, Head of the Global Affairs Department.
