In early May, a delegation from the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), Ningbo, led by Professor Chunmiao Zheng, Vice President of EIT, visited Italy and the Netherlands for high-level international exchanges. Focusing on innovative development in higher education, research collaboration, talent cultivation, and the strengthening of global partnerships, the delegation held in-depth discussions with several prestigious European universities and research institutions, further expanding the university's global cooperation network and enhancing its level of internationalization.
Professor Chunmiao Zheng led the delegation to Leiden University in the Netherlands, where they met with Professor Jasper Knoester, Pro Rector and Dean of the Faculty of Science; Professor Gianne Derks, Scientific Director of the Mathematical Institute; Professor Marcello Bonsangue, Scientific Director of the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science; Professor Erik Danen, Dean of the Graduate School of Science; and Professor Martina Vijver, Scientific Director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences, together with Associate Professor Stefano Cucurachi, Director of Education. The two sides had systematic exchanges on undergraduate student exchanges, articulated master's degree pathways, joint doctoral programs, collaborative research projects, and discipline alignment mechanisms. The discussions spanned several priority fields, including computer science, data science and artificial intelligence, security studies, environmental science, and mathematics.
During the talks, Professor Chunmiao Zheng emphasized that EIT places a high premium on its internationalization strategy and looks forward to forging a long-term, stable, and substantive partnership with Leiden University in joint talent cultivation, collaborative research and innovation, and faculty–student exchanges. By leveraging their complementary strengths, both institutions can jointly explore forward-looking models of high-quality education and research cooperation.
While at Leiden University, the delegation also held a meeting with representatives of Chinese doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. They presented EIT's development vision, distinctive international education features, and talent recruitment policies, actively encouraging outstanding young scholars to engage with the university and contribute to its development.
During the visit to the Netherlands, Professor Chuanwu Xi, Vice Provost for Global Engagement at EIT, visited Delft University of Technology and met with Professor Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an internationally renowned expert in environmental biotechnology. The two sides held in-depth discussions on student exchanges, joint doctoral training, and future research collaboration. Professor Chuanwu Xi also toured relevant laboratories, where productive conversations were held on potential directions for future cooperation.
Professor Chuanwu Xi was subsequently invited to attend the Times Higher Education (THE) Europe Universities Summit in Milan, Italy, where he delivered a keynote address on the theme "University preparedness for global technological shifts." He highlighted EIT's educational philosophy, which is grounded in responding to the needs of the times and oriented toward future scientific and technological advancement, and shared the university's concrete initiatives in advancing educational innovation, deepening digital transformation, and strengthening industry–academia integration in the era of artificial intelligence. His presentation fully demonstrated the forward-looking vision and sense of responsibility of EIT as a new research university in the context of global technological change. During the summit, EIT also established connections with several prominent European universities.
This visit to Europe further consolidated the foundation for collaboration between EIT and top-tier European universities and research institutions, enhanced the university's international profile, and injected fresh momentum into its accelerated efforts to build a high-caliber foundation, globally engaged, and research oriented university.
