Excellence Alliance and Polytech Group Sign Cooperation Agreement

On May 31, 2013, Excellence Alliance (China) (9 excellent engineering universities, or E9 in short) and Polytech Group (France) (a French network of 13 engineering focused graduate schools within France's leading universities) signed a memorandum of understanding for academic collaboration at Tianjin University (TJU). This agreement aimed to further strengthen cooperation between China and France on engineering education. According to the agreement, postgraduate students from Excellence Alliance member universities will have the opportunity to get not only a master’s degree from their home university but also a diploma of engineering from the Polytech Group, a degree accredited by French Accreditation Board for Engineering (CTI).

Director of Polytech Nantes (France) and Rotating President of Polytech Group, Mr. Rene Le Gall, President of Northwestern Polytechnical University and Rotating President of Excellence Alliance, Mr. Wang Jinsong, and President of TJU, Mr. Li Jiajun, representing the two alliances, signed the agreement. Witnesses included representatives from the Ministry of Education, French Embassy in China, and Tianjin Municipal Education Commission. Over 40 representatives from Excellence Alliance and Polytech Group attended the signing ceremony.

In recent years, China and France have had increasingly frequent exchanges and various forms of cooperation on higher engineering education. However, such cooperation was mainly limited to direct cooperation among universities. After the signing of the agreement, relationship breakthroughs will be established at a higher level between the two alliances. All member universities will have better access to the resources shared by the two alliances, which makes it easier for reaching consensus and forming a coherent policy while thus ensuring execution of cooperation.

As a member of Excellence Alliance, TJU strives for extensive international exchange and cooperation with the principle of “pursuing excellence, sharing resources” and the mission of promoting engineering education reform in China and advanced talent development. During this event, TJU reached an intent of cooperation with Polytech Group.

According to the agreement, members of the alliances will carry out comprehensive cross-border collaboration in talent training, faculty exchange, and joint research, including dual degree programs, and student internships. The signing of this agreement will build a collaborative platform for universities of the two alliances, promote high-level and in-depth cooperation in various areas, and further promote the “excellent engineer training program” in China.

Director Le Gall said that the Excellence Alliance and Polytech Group both had similar disciplinary strengths and devotion to training excellent engineering talents. This synergistic agreement would not only be good for the training of engineering talent of the two countries but also for a favorable exploration of the training of engineers with international vision.

President Li said that the collaboration of the two alliances would expand the area of cooperation from training of engineering talents to higher levels of scientific research and international cultural understanding, and build a wider platform for engineering education between China and France. He hoped that this collaboration would offer high quality engineering education for students from the two countries and provide intellectual and human resources for the economic and social development of the two countries.

The representative from the Ministry of Education, Mr.Yang Xiaochun, Head of Office of European Affairs, Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Ministry of Education, China, said that achievements had been made in cooperative training of engineering talents between China and France, and the beneficial experience from engineer training by France would help improve the level of engineering training in China. He also hoped that the two synergistic alliances would help further explore the new model of cooperation in engineering training between China and France, build a more solid collaborative alliance, and spur the advancement of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and France.

In recent years, Tianjin University has been actively exploring synergism and exchange with France, establishing partnerships with 5 universities in France, including Polytech Nice-Sophia. TJU has conferred upon 2008 Nobel Laureate Luc Montagnier and Director of the Polytech Nice-Sophia Philippe Gourbesville an honorary professorship and guest professorship, to assist learning the advantages and characteristics of education in France and achieving breakthroughs in the engineering education reform.

Polytech Group has trained numerous highly qualified talents, mastering not only cutting-edge technology but also engineering management in France and across the world. The Alliance is globally recognized and has obtained a master’s degree certification from the Ministry of Education in China, and is also supported and sponsored by the Ministry of National Education in France. Polytech Group carried out a plan of “Polytech Excellence”. It aimed to promote engineering education and research development and build a long-term mutually beneficial academic symbiosis with global partners while driving the development of French engineering learning with international cooperation.