Delegation from Zhejiang University Visited SPbPU

8 June 2016 International activities 969

On 3rd June a delegation of our strategic partner in the sphere of science and education, namely Zhejiang University, China, visited Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Delegation from Zhejiang University Visited SPbPU

Zhejiang University has been a partner of SPbPU for many years. A strategic partnership agreement was signed between our universities in 2015.

The delegation from China arrived at the Polytechnic University headed by Professor Zhou Guoping, Vice-President of Zhejiang University, President of China Academy of West Regions Development.

Delegation from Zhejiang University Visited SPbPU

At the Polytechnic University the guests were welcomed by D.G. Arseniev, Vice-Rector for International Relations, V.D. Khizhnyak, Head of the International Relations Office, E.V. Satalkina, Director of the International Education Office, staff of the international offices, V.I. Malyugin, Project Manager in South-East Asia, and N.Yu. Grishina, Deputy Director of the Department of International Relations (the Institute of Humanities).

The participants of the meeting held a round table discussion at the Supply Center for International Activity, SPbPU in order to consider collaboration as part of the New Silk Road initiative, as well as cooperation in the sphere of science and education, joint research projects and study programs, the participation of Chinese students in summer schools at the Polytechnic University, semester exchange programs and academic mobility projects.

Delegation from Zhejiang University Visited SPbPU

At the beginning of the negotiations Vice-Rector D.G. Arseniev told his Chinese colleagues about the internationalization program of the leading engineering university in Russia aimed at developing relations with high-profile universities of the world, Zhejiang University being one of them. Today more than one thousand students from China are studying at the Polytechnic University, and students from the polytechnic University visit Chinese universities on a regular basis in order to acquire new skills and establish contacts. Thus, in 2015 a group of students and lecturers of the Institute of Humanities went on an internship to the School of Humanities at Zhejiang University. In their turn, in December last year 12 master’s degree students from the Chinese university took part in the Winter School at SPbPU studying electrical engineering and power engineering, ecology, computer science, construction, management and humanities.

According to D.G. Arseniev, this new level of Russian-Chinese relations in the sphere of education is closely connected with the special policy of the Russian Federation aimed at strengthening ties with the People’s Republic of China.

Delegation from Zhejiang University Visited SPbPU

“During the whole period of my work at the Polytechnic University I have been able to trace the development of the relations with your university”, D.G. Arseniev, Vice-Rector for International Relations addressed his Chinese colleagues. – “This year several students from Zhejiang University are taking part in the Summer Polytechnic School. In autumn 2016 10 students from the Polytechnic University are visiting the Chinese university and 7 of your students are going to study at our university. We are ready to develop our cooperation in every possible way”.

The Vice-Rector enumerated priority areas for joint research, such as aerospace and energy-efficient technologies, space developments, telecommunications, and humanitarian projects. The upcoming visit in June 2016 of a delegation from the Institute of Energy and Transport Systems to Zhejiang University in order to establish partnership in the sphere of power industry serves as a proof of mutual interests.

Attention is also paid to popularizing the Russian language in China and recruiting highly-qualified Chinese lecturers and researches.

“Currently we are considering a joint project with Pushkin State Russian Language Institute and we will be happy if you join us. We are inviting the lecturers of your institute to deliver lectures at the Polytechnic University and we hope that professors from Zhejiang University support these initiatives in the nearest future”, commented V.D. Khizhnyak, Head of the International Relations Office.

Professor Zhou Guoping, Vice-President of Zhejiang University, President of China Academy of West Regions Development, thanked her Russian colleagues for their hearty welcome and the dialogue that had enabled communication with various subdivisions of SPbPU. “The main goal of our visit is to develop our cooperation further on”, said Professor Zhou Guoping.

During the next part of the meeting Vice-Rector D.G. Arseniev spoke about the strategic developments of the Department of International Relations (the Institute of Humanities) related to research undertaken in the field of Russian-Chinese relations.

All participants of the negotiations agreed that the relations would benefit greatly due to the fact that the Office of SPbPU in Shanghai is located in the vicinity of Zhejiang University. Sun Jing, Director of the Office of the Polytechnic University in Shanghai, promised assistance when solving all interuniversity problems.

During the visit to SPbPU the delegation of Zhejiang University also visited the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies.

International Relations Office

Print version