27 March, a French delegation made up of government officials from Metropolitan Lyon, also known as Grand Lyon, along with representatives from the New Sino-French Institute of Lyon, paid a visit to ECNU to seek more collaboration and ideas on academic initiatives for enhanced co-operation.  

 

  Qian Xuhong meets with Alain Galliano.

 

The delegation included Alain Galliano, vice president of Metropolitan Lyon who is in charge of international relations and urban glamour; Candice Du Chayla, general manager of New Sino-French Institute of Lyon; and Guillaume Arnould, international cooperation and European affairs project manager of Metropolitan Lyon.  

ECNU president Qian Xuhong met the visitors, welcoming them by expressing that Chinese people cherish Lyon because it was the place where many Chinese people were cultivated in the 1920s - when a large number of Chinese students went to France to study during the Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement. Moreover, many of them later became prominent leaders in the construction of the People's Republic of China.  

According to Qian, co-operation between ECNU and Lyon's universities goes back to as early as 2002 when ECNU and ENS Group, whose members included ENS Lyon, launched a joint postgraduate training program. The program has since fostered 91 Sino-French double-degree doctoral students in 17 years, who have published a total of over 260 articles in famous domestic and international academic journals and applied for 20 patents.  

In 2015, ECNU and EMLYON Business School inaugurated the Asia Europe Business School to focus on training world-class entrepreneurs to serve the Belt and Road Initiative and New Silk Road project. In the same year, ECNU became a founding member of the New Sino-French Institute of Lyon.

Each year, a large number of ECNU and Lyon university students jointly participate in training programs, short-term visits, summer camps and international conventions in Shanghai and Lyon. ECNU is currently implementing an International Plus action plan, in order to increase the rate of students with backgrounds in overseas studies.  

Qian also appreciated the support from the Metropolitan Lyon government for the co-operation between ECNU and Lyon's universities, welcomed more collaboration with French universities and encouraged more French students to study in ECNU.  

 

Grand Lyon delegation visits ECNU.

 

Vice president Alain Galliano expressed his gratitude for ECNU’s hospitality and said he was thrilled about the close and fruitful cooperation between ECNU and Lyon. As a historical city with more than 2,000 years of history, Lyon was a destination of the ancient Silk Road, with textile production being second only to agriculture in economic importance. Nowadays, the city has shifted its focus to innovation and entrepreneurship, green chemistry and biomedicines for future economic growth. He said ECNU's strength in natural and social sciences tallies with the priorities of Lyon's government and universities, which poses a great potential for further collaboration.  

General manager Candice Du Chayla gave a brief introduction about the achievements of New Sino-French Institute of Lyon since its inauguration in 2016, liking it to a bridge of cooperation between China and France whereby it fulfills its mission to boost intercollegiate and college-enterprise cooperation.  

In the future, the institute will continue to welcome academic exchanges by ECNU teachers and students, help with ECNU's overseas promotion, fund ECNU representatives to take part in Sino-French Culture Forum and host cultural exhibitions.  

Also at the meeting, both sides exchanged views about future cooperation in mathematics and overseas promotion.

 

New Sino-French Institute of Lyon.

 

The 2nd Sino-France International Business Talent Summer School, jointly initiated by ECNU, New Sino-French Institute of Lyon and EMLYON Business School, will be held in Lyon and Paris from June 29 to July 13, featuring an array of events including classroom teaching, lectures by business elites, case study session, panel discussions, visits to famous enterprises and French culture tours.  

With an extensive membership network, the New Sino-French Institute of Lyon has specially arranged visits for students to see famous enterprises and French culture tours so that they can retrace the ancient Silk Road, explore the blending of Chinese and French civilization, and acquire professional knowledge about France's contemporary business management concepts.