May 20, 2025  |  International Office

From May 12^th to 18^th, Ms. Xu Yufang, SSPU Vice President led a delegation on a visit to University Colleges Leuven-Limburg (UCLL) in Belgium and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), University of Sunderland, and University of Leicester in the U.K. During the visit, the delegation engaged in in-depth discussions and reached consensuses on areas including joint student cultivation, faculty mobility, and international scientific research cooperation.

During the visit to UCLL, Vice President Xu Yufang and Vice President Marc Vandewalle signed a renewed MoU on behalf of the universities. In addition to presenting the university overviews, the delegation focused on conversations with the Faculty of Technology. Both sides shared ideas on undergraduate exchange programs, short-term research internship programs and faculty research collaboration, and had an in-depth discussion on Belgium’s vocational education system (higher vocational-undergraduate-master’s level). The delegation also paid a visit to UCLL’s PLC laboratory, machine tool workshop, visual robotics lab, mold forming laboratory, etc.

During the visit to LJMU, the delegation met with three schools under the Faculty of Engineering and Technology. Both sides introduced their advantageous disciplines and international exchanges, followed by discussions on future international research collaboration between faculty members. They agreed to carry out activities such as faculty exchange, joint organization of international conferences, joint applications of international research projects, and co-supervision of postgraduate students. Each side will also select students to join the other’s summer school programs. The delegation had a tour to LJMU’s mechanical processing laboratory, mechatronics laboratory, additive manufacturing laboratory, digital media technology laboratory, maritime simulation laboratory, etc.

During the visit to University of Sunderland, Vice President Milan Radosavljevic welcomed the delegation. The two sides had discussions on the cultivation models of academic Master’s and research Master’s degree programs in the U.K., and on the details of UoS’s master’s training modules, credit and research project requirements. Both sides reached consensuses on short-term postgraduate student exchanges and the formation of joint supervisory teams comprising mentors from both universities and industries to co-supervise the postgraduates. Additionally, based on the existing“3+1”program, the two sides also shared ideas on the undergraduate exchange and research collaboration in the future. The delegation had a campus tour to the university’s medical laboratories, clinical medicine center, and student activity center.

During the visit to the University of Leicester, Vice President Xu Yufang and Vice President Henrietta O’Connor signed an agreement on the “1+1” Master’s degree program on behalf of the universities. Both sides shared overviews of their universities and engaged in in-depth discussions on potential collaboration areas, with a particular focus on gaining insights into the UK’s education and research evaluation systems, as well as the framework for integrating research into teaching assessments. The delegation mainly talked with two faculties in the humanities field. Noting the strong alignment between the University of Leicester’s research-teaching integrated model and SSPU’s industry-education integration approach, both sides explored enterprise project-driven research and postgraduate training. For undergraduate exchanges, they reached consensus on the “3+1+1” cooperation model and interdisciplinary talent development. In postgraduate joint training, they expressed a shared vision to expand collaboration to Master’s degree programs in international business, design, and other disciplines. The delegation toured facilities including exhibitions hosted by the university’s Museum Studies department, research studios, and digital media laboratories.

Heads and representatives from Research Administration Office, Graduate Affairs Office, School of Intelligent Manufacturing and Control Engineering and School of Foreign Languages and Cultural Communication were in the delegation.