From January 19 to 25, Yang Guishan, Party Secretary of Hohai University (HHU), led a delegation to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands for academic exchanges. The delegation visited renowned partner institutions including Imperial College London, Cardiff University, Delft University of Technology, UNESCO-IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (IHE Delft), and the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat, RWS) of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. They also held discussions with local alumni, distinguished professors, and young scholars.
At Imperial College London, the two parties engaged in in-depth discussions regarding scholarly exchanges, talent cultivation, and research collaboration. Secretary Yang noted that Imperial College London possesses world-class research capabilities and faculty resources, expressing hope for strengthened exchanges in advantageous disciplinary fields and deeper cooperation in academic research and joint doctoral training programs.
At Cardiff University, Pro Vice-Chancellor Gavin Shaddick received the delegation. The parties reached cooperative intentions across multiple educational levels, including Chinese-foreign cooperative education programs, joint bachelor's and master's degree programs, and collaborative doctoral training. The delegation also toured relevant laboratories in the School of Engineering, establishing preliminary intentions for research collaboration.
At Delft University of Technology, both parties reflected on their long-standing partnership, which has facilitated hundreds of faculty exchanges for research collaboration and academic exchange, with over 20 HHU graduates earning doctoral degrees from Delft. Secretary Yang expressed his desire to further promote student exchanges, develop summer school collaborations, and encourage academic interactions between scholars and research teams from both institutions. Representatives from the RWS participated in the discussions.
At IHE Delft, Rector Eddy Moors welcomed the delegation. Rector Moors acknowledged the solid foundation of cooperation between the institutions, highlighting fruitful outcomes in joint master's degree programs. Secretary Yang expressed gratitude for the warm reception and suggested that more cooperative achievements would be realized under mutual close collaboration.
During the visit, the delegation organized global talent recruitment presentations at University College London, Cardiff University, and Delft University of Technology, attracting attention and active participation from numerous outstanding overseas talents. Concurrently, the delegation engaged with alumni in both the UK and the Netherlands and held a flag relay ceremony to celebrate HHU's 110th anniversary.
HHU's relevant functional department and college leaders accompanied the delegation.
