On May 13, 2025, a delegation of eight from Northumbria University in the UK visited Nanjing Institute of Technology. The delegation included John Woodward, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) of Northumbria University; Helen Bower, Chief Marketing Officer; Robert Carthy, Director of the International Office; Wai Pang Ng, Head of the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering; Sunny Sun, China Director; and Frank Wang, China Partnership Projects Manager. They were warmly received by Zhang Yangfei, President of NJIT, and Zhao Wenxiang, Member of the University Council and Vice President. Also attending the meeting were heads of the Graduate School, the Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges, and the School of Electrical Engineering.
During the meeting, Zhang Yangfei extended a warm welcome to the delegation on behalf of the university and provided an overview of the university’s educational profile, disciplinary strengths, and achievements in internationalization. He pointed out that the two universities have long maintained a close cooperative relationship, sharing a solid foundation and broad prospects for development. He expressed hope that both sides would deepen collaboration across more levels and broader fields in the future, particularly in achieving new breakthroughs in Sino-foreign cooperative education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, faculty and student exchanges, and joint scientific research initiatives.
On behalf of Northumbria University, John Woodward expressed sincere gratitude for the warm reception. He stated that Northumbria University highly values its strategic partnership with Nanjing Institute of Technology and looks forward to exploring innovative educational models, expanding areas of research collaboration, and leveraging complementary strengths and shared resources. Building on the Memorandum of Understanding on the Innovative Practice Center for International Talent Development signed last year, he expressed hope that both sides would further promote various faculty and student exchange programs and integrate long-term research cooperation into the existing framework, creating more overseas learning and research opportunities for members of both institutions.
During the talks, both sides engaged in productive discussions on topics such as optimizing the management of cooperative education program, expanding areas of professional collaboration, improving credit recognition mechanisms, diversifying forms of student overseas exchanges, and enhancing faculty research cooperation.
During their visit, the delegation also conducted on-site inspections of the School of Electrical Engineering, and the university’s student entrepreneurship center, “Tianyin Dreamworks Incubation Studio.” They introduced Northumbria University’s educational features to students in the Sino-foreign cooperative program in electrical engineering and encouraged them to pursue further studies in the UK. The delegation also spoke highly of the university’s achievements in innovation and entrepreneurship education and practice.
