(Correspondent: Shengxia WANG)

To further deepen our university’s exchanges and cooperation with Europe, Professor Sannyuya Liu, Vice President of CCNU, led a delegation on a visit to Germany and the United Kingdom from October 19 to 26, 2025, at the invitation of partner institutions. The itinerary included visits to Humboldt University of Berlin and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Germany, as well as University College London (UCL), Newcastle University, and the University of Cambridge in the UK. The delegation also met with the ‌Education Office of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Germany‌ and the UK, visited students participating in the “Future Educators” publicly funded teacher-training overseas study program and teachers in the “Young Core Teacher Overseas Academic Development Program”, and hosted a “UK Talent Promotional Session” in London.

During the visit to Humboldt University of Berlin, Vice President Sannyuya Liu held discussions with Professor Niels Pinkwart, Vice President of the university, and other representatives. Liu particularly noted that both universities have long been engaged in the field of AI in education, each with distinctive academic strengths. Their complementary advantages create broad potential for deepened collaboration. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on joint student training and the establishment of research and innovation platforms and shared their educational achievements, and reached preliminary agreements on future cooperation.

At DFKI, Vice President Liu met with Professor Berit Blanc, Senior Researcher and Principal Scientist of the AI Compass Inclusive project. He gained a detailed understanding of the center’s up-to-date research projects and progress in AI and education-related fields.

During the visit to UCL, Vice President Liu held talks with Professor Wei Li, Dean of the UCL Institute of Education, among others. Both sides agreed that the two universities exhibit strong complementarity in areas such as digital education and interdisciplinary research. Liu highlighted CCNU’s recent active promotion of “AI + Education” integration and innovation, which has fostered a high-level research team and yielded a series of landmark achievements. He also acknowledged the UCL Institute of Education’s profound expertise in educational theory innovation, interdisciplinary research, and international educational cooperation. The two sides agreed to seize this opportunity to expand collaborations such as joint postgraduate training and teacher-student exchanges in order to promote the sharing of educational outcomes and international academic exchanges.

Additionally, the two universities - CCNU and UCL - have signed an inter-university memorandum of understanding (MOU). This has laid a solid foundation for further substantive cooperation. The delegation also met with 19 CCNU students taking part in the “Future Educators” program at the UCL Institute of Education.

At Newcastle University, Vice President Liu met with Professor Nigel Harkness, Vice President of the university, and other representatives. Liu expressed that the two universities are preparing to jointly apply for a Sino-foreign cooperative education institution. This initiative represents not only an upgrade in collaboration but also a joint effort to create a model of “AI + Education” integration. Through this strengthened partnership, both sides aim to cultivate more innovative talents equipped for the global digital era.

The delegation from CCNU visited the university’s Business School, School of Computing, and faculties of Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, and Psychology respectively, attending presentations and touring teaching and research facilities. Moreover, the delegation met with 18 CCNU’s teachers training in the “Young Core Teacher Overseas Academic Development Program” at Newcastle University.

The delegation then visited the University of Cambridge. Vice President Liu met with Oliver Paul, Manager of the Cambridge University Innovation Park International Outreach Department, and Dr. Ananay Aguilar, Director of the TenU alliance. Oliver Paul introduced the strengths, operational processes, and revenue models of Cambridge’s innovation ecosystem. He stressed that it is designed to help university spin-offs mitigate risks and enhance returns on entrepreneurial ventures. Dr. Aguilar explained TenU’s origins, membership, responsibilities, and key initiatives. She highlighted that TenU comprises three U.S. universities, six UK universities, and one Belgian university. They work together to provide policy advice to governments, promote the sharing of scientific and technological achievements, and support better decision-making by public authorities. The delegation also toured the Cambridge University Innovation Park and the TusPark • Cambridge.

In London, CCNU hosted a “UK Talent Promotional Session”. This session attracted lots of young scholars from UCL, the University of Southampton, Imperial College London, and other institutions. During the event, Vice President Liu presented CCNU’s achievements in discipline development and talent cultivation, the planning of its new campus, and its talent recruitment policies. He warmly invited outstanding students and scholars studying in the UK to join CCNU and contribute to new chapters in educational and scientific development.

During the visits, the delegation also met with Minister-Counselor Lixin Liu and Counselor Zhiqiang Zhou of the Chinese Embassy in Germany, and Counselor Jianjiang Kuang of the Chinese Embassy in the UK. The delegation reported on CCNU’s exchanges with universities and institutions in Germany and the UK and received suggestions on strengthening cooperation with higher education institutions in both countries.

This visit further expanded CCNU’s collaboration network with leading European universities, deepened practical cooperation in fields such as AI in education, teacher education, and innovative talent cultivation, and injected new momentum into the internationalization of CCNU’s educational development.

Editor: Ruye LI

Reviewer: Xiaoxiao ZHU