Delegation from Department of Education of Sichuan Province visits PolyU and signs strategic cooperation agreement to advance Sichuan-Hong Kong educational development
A delegation from the Department of Education of Sichuan Province, led by Mr ZHANG Lantao, CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee Education Working Committee Deputy Secretary and Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Department of Education of Sichuan Province, visited The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 14 October and met University representatives, including PolyU President Prof. Jin-Guang TENG and Vice President (Education) Prof. CAO Jiannong. In-depth discussions were held on topics that included research collaboration, joint talent cultivation, staff and student exchanges, and industry-academia-research collaboration. A strategic cooperation agreement was also signed, marking a significant milestone in the parties’ partnership, and further consolidating the foundation for educational collaboration between Sichuan and Hong Kong.
Prof. Cao Jiannong extended a warm welcome to the delegation and stated that PolyU places great emphasis on demand-driven disciplinary development, actively promoting the integration of education, technology, talent and industry. He noted that the University has established extensive partnerships with numerous mainland universities for joint programmes and dual doctoral degree programmes. Highlighting the distinct academic strengths and wide-ranging industrial applications of Sichuan universities, Prof. Cao remarked that both parties shared a solid foundation for collaboration in disciplines such as civil engineering and disaster mitigation, artificial intelligence (AI), hotel and tourism management, healthcare and social sciences, design, and food science. He expressed his hope of establishing closer liaison mechanisms to facilitate the implementation of further joint initiatives.
Expressing his gratitude for PolyU’s warm hospitality, Mr Zhang Lantao outlined the latest developments and internationalisation initiatives in the Sichuan education sector. He noted that as a major province in terms of population, economy and education, Sichuan possessed rich higher education resources and had been supporting the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the national strategic hinterland in recent years. Emphasising the long-standing educational ties between Sichuan and Hong Kong, Mr Zhang added that PolyU’s distinctive strengths in talent cultivation, research innovation, knowledge transfer and industry engagement were closely aligned with Sichuan’s high-quality development priorities.
He expressed his hope that the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement would serve as a catalyst to advance in-depth collaboration between Sichuan’s higher education institutions and PolyU across key areas such as tackling critical research challenges, talent cultivation and international exchange. Proposed initiatives include student exchanges and joint postgraduate programmes, summer camps and cultural study trips, as well as the facilitation of the commercialisation of research outcomes and of industry-academia-research collaborative innovation. He warmly invited PolyU staff and students to visit Sichuan to gain deeper insight into its universities, industries and cultural landscape, thereby further fostering youth exchanges and educational collaboration between the two regions.
During discussions, various strategic collaboration opportunities were explored. They included: connecting Sichuan universities’ leading disciplines with relevant PolyU faculties and schools to develop interdisciplinary joint programmes; sharing best practices in AI-empowered higher education; leveraging Sichuan’s strengths in healthcare, food, tourism, culture, and disaster prevention and mitigation to pursue joint research and knowledge transfer; and deepening academic exchanges in fields such as social work, mental health and healthcare design.
Subsequently, Prof. Cao Jiannong and Mr Zhang Lantao signed the “Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Comprehensively Deepening Collaboration between the Department of Education of Sichuan Province and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University” on behalf of their respective institutions. The agreement lays a solid foundation for both parties to coordinate educational and research resources, leverage each other’s complementary strengths and foster sustainable long-term collaboration.
During the visit, the delegation toured the PolyU University Gallery and the Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations, gaining an insight into the University’s history and its contributions to national deep space exploration missions and cutting-edge technological research.
This visit and the signing of the cooperation agreement have further deepened the partnership between PolyU and the Department of Education of Sichuan Province. Looking ahead, both parties will leverage their respective strengths and work hand in hand to broaden educational exchanges and collaborative innovation between Sichuan and Hong Kong, jointly contributing to educational development, national progress and talent empowerment.
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