Nanjing University President Lyu Jian met with Ellis Ferran, pro-vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, and her delegation to explore future cooperation between the two universities on Gulou Campus on November 5.    

Present at the meeting were Stephen Davision, director of International Partnership of Cambridge University, and Gareth Taylor, scientific and technological innovation consul of the British Consulate Office in Shanghai, attended the meeting.    

Li Xiaorong, director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges, presided over the meeting.    

The Cambridge University delegation visited Nanjing University at the invitation of President Lyu.   

Lyu welcomed Chancellor Ferran and her delegation on behalf of Nanjing University.    

While briefing the guests on the history and present situation of Nanjing University, he emphasized that the university draws upon its strengths in basic research in arts and sciences to meet the needs of national and social development and develops and completes its comprehensive layout of applied disciplines, including engineering, business science, and medical science and others.    

Lyu reviewed the achievements in the two universities’ cooperation in the fields of architecture, urban planning, physics, electronics, information management and life science and in student exchange.   

He put forward three ideas for future cooperation of the two universities: first, continuing to deepen and broaden disciplinary cooperation and personnel exchanges so as to construct extensive networks of academic exchang; second, relying on the economic strengths and the unique geographical location of the city of Nanjing and the scientific research strengths of Nanjing University, and joining hands with Nanjing Jiangbei New District to expand the innovative cooperation mode of political, industrial, academic and research integration; and third, learning from the international joint programs like the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies and actively exploring higher and more far-reaching cooperation programs with Cambridge University.    

At the meeting

Ferran responded to Lyu’s speech with great interest and spoke highly of the scientific research and innovative strengths of Nanjing University, noting that Nanjing University is one of the most important partners Cambridge University cooperates with in international joint research.   

She pointed out that Cambridge University has been following a bottom-up management pattern for over 800 years in its history of development; therefore, she agreed that the two universities cooperate on extensive disciplines and deepen the partnership.    

She believed both universities have well-arranged disciplinary coverage and can encourage problem-oriented interdisciplinary research so as to offer solutions to such commonly-faced problems as moral, ethical and philosophical problems caused by Artificial Intelligence (AI).    

Finally, she indicated that the two universities can actively exchange and cooperate on graduate student education.     

During the meeting, Chu Daping, an alumnus of Nanjing University and optoelectronics professor of Cambridge University, and Professor Wang Fengqiu, of School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, shared their views and visions on the future cooperation between the two universities.    

It was reported that Pro-Vice-Chancellor Ellis Ferran and her Cambridge University delegation were scheduled to visit the five universities in China that had been mentioned in China’s President Xi Jinping’s May Fourth Speech and explore opportunities of strategic cooperation with these Chinese universities.