HKUST(GZ) Delegation Visits France to Deepen Partnerships

Following a visit to the United Kingdom, a delegation led by Professor Lionel Ni, President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (HKUST(GZ)), traveled to France from September 23 to 24. The delegation paid intensive visits to several French universities and research institutions, advancing in-depth collaboration between China and France in higher education.

During the visit, President Ni held meetings with Mr. Romain Soubeyran, Director of CentraleSupélec; Mr. Sylvain Goussot, General Director of EPITA; Professor Anthony Briant, President of École nationale des ponts et chaussées (ENPC); and Ms. Laura Hassan, General Director of European Institute of Information Technology (EPITECH). He engaged in in-depth discussions on cooperation details with each institution and showcased the agreements recently reached between HKUST(GZ) and these partner schools.

In parallel, delegation members fanned out along separate tracks to meet with Ms. Vanessa Proux, General Director of Sup’Biotech, and Dr. Emmanuel Guérin, Vice-Dean of the Paris Climate School at Sciences Po. They held in-depth discussions on joint research, faculty exchange and student mobility, reaching a number of cooperative consensuses.

On September 23, the delegation visited CentraleSupélec and met Director Romain Soubeyran. President Ni highlighted their shared academic heritage, interdisciplinary education, research innovation, and commitment to global challenges. He invited Mr. Soubeyran to visit HKUST(GZ) for exchanges and dialogue, calling for regular cooperation. Mr. Soubeyran and his team emphasized their alignment in educational philosophy, academic structure, and interdisciplinary development, noting collaboration potential in engineering and information technology. He anticipated a formal partnership, faculty and student exchanges, and student mobility programs.

On the evening of September 23, President Ni hosted an exchange event in Paris, engaging in in-depth dialogue with Professor Jacques Biot—former President of École Polytechnique and a member of the HKUST(GZ) Global Advisory Board; Professor Jean-Louis Bougeret, honorary astronomer at Paris Sciences et Lettres; Professor Jean-Marc Tallon of the Paris School of Economics; Professor Michel Talagrand, member of the French Academy of Sciences and 2024 Abel Prize laureate; Professor Victoria Barham, Dean of the Toulouse School of Economics; and Mr. Wenxiong Sun, Former China Affairs Adviser to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy—along with other representatives from academia and the overseas Chinese community, to explore avenues for cooperation.

On the morning of September 24, the delegation visited École Pour l’Informatique et les Techniques Avancées (EPITA) and met with Mr. Sylvain Goussot, General Director of EPITA. The two sides jointly showcased a student exchange agreement between the institutions. President Ni urged the universities to expand AI and machine learning research cooperation, connect French technology companies with Greater Bay Area industries, create internship opportunities, and broaden international pathways for students. Mr. Goussot reaffirmed EPITA’s commitment to long-term cooperation with HKUST(GZ). During the visit, President Ni met four EPITA undergraduates preparing to study at HKUST(GZ) in spring 2027, answering questions about enrollment, courses, campus life, and cultural adaptation. The students expressed enthusiasm for studying in Nansha.

On the afternoon of September 24, the delegation visited ENPC and met President Anthony Briant. President Ni presented HKUST(GZ)’s academic structure and development plan. He invited ENPC to visit HKUST(GZ) and strengthen engineering industry-academia-research cooperation. President Briant and his team outlined ENPC’s history, strengths, and projects, noting complementary advantages and expressing support for expanded faculty and student exchanges and deeper collaboration. The two sides jointly presented their student exchange agreement between the institutions.

The delegation then visited EPITECH and met with Ms. Laura Hassan, General Director of EPITECH. The two sides jointly showcased a Memorandum of Understanding between the institutions. President Ni noted that EPITECH empowers digital talent cultivation through project-based practice, with distinctive educational features and outstanding achievements, making it a highly influential computer science institution in France. Although the two institutions are geographically far apart, their educational philosophies are highly aligned. He looked forward to building on the student exchange cooperation to continuously deepen collaboration in research innovation and joint cultivation of high-end talent.

Ms. Hassan expressed her expectations for in-depth cooperation between the two sides. She noted that the exchange program officially launching in fall 2027 has attracted wide attention from EPITECH students, fully reflecting French young students’ high recognition of the innovation-driven vitality of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and of Chinese higher education.

During the France visit, the delegation advanced targeted cooperation along separate tracks, achieving precise, multi-field matching. On September 25, Professor Kejun Jiang, Thrust Head of the Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change Thrust, was invited to the European Commission in Belgium to deliver a thematic sharing session. He presented a keynote report to experts from the Directorate-General for Environment and the Directorate-General for Climate Action. The event drew more than 60 industry experts, and was moderated by Ms. Vicky Pollard, Head of the unit in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Climate Action.

The delegation also included Professor Lei Chen, Dean of Information Hub; Professor Robert Zhong Qi, Acting Dean of Systems Hub; 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.