TJU Delegation Visits the UK and Ireland

From March 23 to 30, 2025, a delegation from Tianjin University (TJU), led by Professor Yang Xianjin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tianjin University, visited the UK and Ireland

The delegation visited King's College London, Brunel University London, Cardiff University, the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, and University College Dublin, paid courtesy calls to the Chinese Embassies in the UK and Ireland, met with local alumni representatives, and promoted multi-faceted collaborations.

On March 23, Professor Yang Xianjin visited TJU alumni working and living in London. He expressed gratitude for their long-standing support to their alma mater and introduced TJU's recent achievements in education and teaching, discipline development, scientific research and innovation, and international cooperation. Professor Yang encouraged alumni to uphold the university's motto of "Seeking Truth from Facts" and become industry leaders. He also pledged that the university would always be a strong supporter of all alumni and looked forward to their continued attention and support for the university's development.

On March 24, the delegation visited King's College London (KCL), where they held talks with the design discipline team. Both parties reached a consensus on cooperation directions such as faculty exchanges and joint student training. Subsequently, the delegation paid a courtesy call to the Chinese Embassy in the UK and met with Ambassador Zheng Zeguang. Professor Yang thanked the embassy for its support and introduced TJU's cooperation plans with UK universities. Zheng encouraged the university to deepen cooperation based on its engineering advantages.

On the same day, the delegation visited Brunel University London and held discussions with Vice-Chancellor Trevor Hoey, Zhao Hua, and other representatives. Professor Yang proposed further expanding scientific research cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and big data. The delegation visited the design school's practice space and the Advanced Casting Technology Centre (BCAST), and met with exchange students.

On March 25, the delegation visited Cardiff University, where President Wendy Larner expressed the willingness to establish a strategic partnership. During the talks, both parties signed an intention agreement on cooperation in running joint educational programs in Shenzhen and Tianjin, and a working group was established to facilitate cooperation. Representatives from the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission and Binhai New Area expressed support, expecting to promote coordinated development between the two universities and cities. The delegation then visited the Earth Sciences, Architecture, and Engineering Schools, and met with exchange students.

On March 26, the delegation held a TJU Career Development Report Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, highlighting recent achievements and talent introduction policies, which sparked strong interest among attendees.

On March 27, the delegation visited Heriot-Watt University, where Vice-Chancellor Mark Biggs introduced the university's global layout and Sino-UK cooperation achievements. Both parties discussed cooperation in Earth sciences, emerging engineering education, and sports research, and reached further consensus on faculty exchanges and scientific research cooperation.

On March 28, the delegation visited University College Dublin, where Vice-President Dolores O’Riordan met with the delegation. Both parties signed a student joint training agreement, planning cooperation in advanced manufacturing and other cutting-edge fields. Subsequently, Professor Yang led the delegation to pay a courtesy call to the Chinese Embassy in Ireland, meeting with Ambassador Zhao Xiyuan, who praised TJU's development achievements and emphasized the embassy's continuous support for deepening cooperation in scientific research and talent training.

During this visit, TJU reached multiple cooperation agreements with British and Irish universities. These agreements, along with laboratory visits and talent policy presentations, have laid the foundation for future cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, emerging engineering education, sustainable technology, and sports science.

By Zang Yifan

Editor: Sun Xiaofang