University of British Columbia and Chinese Universities Sign Landmark Agreements

UBC has signed a historic agreement with China’s Universities. Photo: iStockphoto/pengpeng

UBC and Chinese universities sign landmark agreements on research, joint degrees and student exchange

The University of British Columbia has signed an unprecedented number of partnerships with leading Chinese universities that are expected to pave the way for greater academic and cultural exchange between Canada and China.

Four agreements will establish joint degree programs between UBC and highly respected universities, including Peking, Zhejiang, Fudan, and Southwest universities.

Two agreements will focus on promoting research collaboration. UBC and Chongqing University have agreed to set up a new materials laboratory that will study alloys, and Beijing University of Chemical Technology is partnering with UBC to establish a centre for clean energy research.

UBC also signed student mobility programs with Zhejiang University and Chongqing Municipal Education Commission that will establish two-way educational exchanges between UBC and China.

The agreements were signed during UBC President Arvind Gupta’s recent mission in China.

“These new collaborations will deepen the ties that exist between UBC and China, and link UBC more closely with Asia and the Pacific,” President Gupta said. “The scientific and educational breakthroughs resulting from these partnerships will benefit the wider global community.”

As part of his China tour, Gupta met with key government and education officials including Hao Ping, vice minister of education; Zhang Jianguo, minister of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs; Wu Gang, vice-mayor of Chongqing; and Liu Jinghui, secretary general of the China Scholarship Council.

B.C. Minister for Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson, B.C. Special Representative in Asia Ben Stewart, and Philippe Rheault, Canada’s consul-general in Chongqing, joined Gupta in some of the meetings.

In Chongqing, Gupta visited a research centre for Alzheimer’s disease and childhood development disorders at Chongqing Medical University, one of UBC’s largest and most successful joint projects in China.

List of agreements and partner institutions:

• UBC and Chongqing Municipality signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) committing $1.19 million over three years toward an exchange program that will provide study and research awards for UBC and Chongqing students. Chongqing’s financial commitment will be matched by UBC in partnership with the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education and Canadian not-for-profit Mitacs.
• Chongqing University and UBC signed an MOU to establish the Joint International Research Laboratory of Light and Strong Alloys, which will focus on materials engineering.
• UBC and Southwest University signed a letter of intent (LOI) to establish a joint-degree program in food and nutrition.
• UBC and Peking University signed an LOI to develop a master’s program leading to a dual degree in public policy and global affairs, and international public policy.
• Beijing University of Chemical Technology and UBC signed an MOU to develop the China-Canada Joint Centre for Bioenergy Research and Innovation to study clean energy technologies.
• Zhejiang University and UBC signed a UBC-wide student mobility program and agreed to develop a joint PhD program in medicine and a joint MD-PhD for Zhejiang University graduates looking to enroll in graduate studies at UBC.
• UBC and Shanghai Jiao Tong University signed an MOU to renew a joint International MBA program started in 2001.
• Fudan University and UBC signed an LOI to create a joint master’s program, leading to a dual degree in public policy and global affairs, and international public policy.

Source - UBC news