As we now start the academic year, Dean for Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU), Professor Simon Jones reflects on some of the events and activities at XJTLU over the summer.
When I last wrote an update on XJTLU, it was ahead of the end of their academic year, and the beginning of what has turned out to be a hugely productive and exciting summer. At Taicang Entrepreneur College they held their first highly successful Immersive Technopreneurship Summer School. Nearly 60 students attended from countries including Italy, the Netherlands, and Malaysia, the University of Liverpool. Professor Andrew King, Associate Dean of the Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Hub, summarised the programme as:
“Our Technopreneurship Summer School stands out by combining hands-on, project-based learning, high technology, creative innovation, industry engagement, and—above all—fun! Students don’t just absorb theory; they tackle live challenges and prepare submissions for our Global Dreamchasers Competition, working alongside global peers and experts through one of the world’s most exciting hubs for entrepreneurship and enterprise. Experiencing China’s rapid industrial growth, paired with its rich cultural heritage, also adding a unique dimension that few summer programmes can match.”
Our students didn’t just participate in the summer school. A small group of Liverpool PhD students attended an event in Shanghai and were invited to spend two days at the Department of Chemistry in XJTLU meeting staff and fellow students out there, having an opportunity to see their facilities and talk about their science. All had extremely positive experiences and were made welcome by all. Professor John Moraros, Dean, School of Science at XJTLU summed the visit up well: “The success of this visit highlights the potential for expanding these initiatives between our partners at UoL and XJTLU. Strengthening these partnerships through regular exchange programs, joint research projects, and collaborative workshops can further enhance the academic and cultural ties between our two institutions as well as the UK and China.”
Helping build better research links and collaborations like this is one way that our partnership with XJTLU can help both of our institutions improve their international reputation and ranking. Over the summer, another announcement demonstrated how XJTLU continues to improve its position as a leading international university in China. The latest awards from the National Natural Science Foundation of China resulted in 28 projects being funded, worth 11.6 million RMB, the highest number and value in the history of the institution.
At the beginning of the new academic year our Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Black, visited XJTLU for the first time, and took part in their Opening Ceremony. Richard’s experiences of the visit, in terms of the scale of the institution and their ambition was reflected in his email to all staff on 20 September . I also visited XJTLU shortly after Richard and spoke to all Year 2 classes who had just started on the specialism of their degree, a route that may bring them to Liverpool next academic year as part of our articulation pathways. Over a few days, I spoke to over 1600 students who were hugely excited about their future and recognized the crucial part that Liverpool plays in the degrees that they are studying for. I also had an opportunity to see more of the campus and the fantastic teaching and research facilities that are available to students studying there. As usual I also spent time speaking to school leadership teams, hearing their plans for the year ahead and identifying areas that can be of mutual benefit to both institutions. There was a lot of interest in developing new articulation routes and refreshing others, whilst further enhancing research collaboration continues to be an area where XJTLU are keen to engage more with our teams here in Liverpool.
These are all areas that are of high importance to us here in Liverpool this current academic year. Both Richard and the vice-chancellor have talked about the importance of XJTLU to our institution and ambition, helping to increase our international reputation through collaborative teaching and research and associated student mobility. I continue to work closely with colleagues in all Faculties to ensure we have opportunities for student mobility covering all areas of XJTLU’s portfolio, in addition to looking at ways that we can support XJTLU achieve their ambitious PhD numbers, capitalizing on the opportunity that our co-supervisory arrangement provides us with. There is certainly a lot to do this current year, but plenty of opportunities for all staff to help support and further strengthen this fantastic internationally recognized partnership.