Vice President of the University of Edinburgh Visited Tianjin University

On November 2, 2007, accompanied by Dr. Nini Yang (Director of China Office, the University of Edinburgh), Vice President of the University of Edinburgh, Professor Geoffrey S. Boulton visited Tianjin University. President Ke Gong met the delegation at his office. The Director of International Cooperation Office, Prof. Fuling Yang also attended the meeting. President Ke Gong extended warm welcome and briefly introduced to the guests Tianjin University’s history, teaching and research, international strategy as well as the strengths in the areas of engineering. Vice President Boulton gave brief introduction to UE’s history, scientific research, and cooperation with Chinese higher institutions. The two sides discussed on a series of collaborative programs, including “Undergraduate ‘2+2’ Program”, “the Joint Master Degree Program” and the “Joint Doctorate Supervision Program” under the “Postgraduate Program for Constructing First-class Universities in China” sponsored by China Scholarship Council. They also explored opportunities to exchange teachers and hold joint international conferences. Through the meeting, consensus has been reached that Informatics, Energy engineering, Law, and Bio-informatics will be the priority areas of future cooperation between two universities. During their stay in Tianjin University, the UE delegation also visited the labs at the school of Chemical Engineering and Technology. Founded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh is one of Scotland’s “ancient” Universities (a term used to describe the medieval and renaissance universities of the United Kingdom). In terms of the quality of its teaching and research, it is considered one of the leaders not only in the UK but also in Europe and beyond.