The 2024 Jiangsu International Exchange Week on the Cooperation and Integration of Industry, Education, Research, and Application commenced on Oct 28 at Hohai University in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, drawing over 300 participants from universities, research institutions, international organizations, and companies across 34 countries and regions.

The 2024 Jiangsu International Exchange Week on the Cooperation and Integration of Industry, Education, Research, and Application holds its opening ceremony on Oct 28 at Hohai University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: weixunjiangsu]

"Jiangsu has the potential, foundation, and capacity to lead international collaboration across industry, education, research, and application," affirmed Xi Ru, a second-level inspector from the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of the Ministry of Education, at the opening ceremony.

The event witnessed the signing of seven agreements between Jiangsu universities and foreign institutions, such as the establishment of a China-Ghana port protection and development joint laboratory between Hohai University and the University of Cape Coast, as well as the inception of a kidney disease center through the partnership between Nantong University and the University of Leicester in England.

Two educational alliances — Jiangsu-Portuguese Speaking Countries University Consortium and Jiangsu-France Higher Education Alliance — were also formed, signaling a commitment to fostering robust educational ties across borders.

Moreover, 10 Jiangsu universities, including Nanjing University and Yangzhou University, appointed a cadre of joint training doctoral supervisors for Chinese and international students, ensuring a nurturing environment for academic growth and collaboration.

In recent years, Jiangsu's higher education institutions have achieved notable strides in international industry-education-research-application collaborations. The event showcased 10 major collaborative achievements, such as Hohai University's partnership with Brazil's Federal Rural University of Amazonia to restore degraded soils in the Amazon region.

Over the next seven days, the exchange week promises seven international academic special events focusing on key sectors vital to Jiangsu's economic and social progress, including intelligent systems, biomedicine, environmental engineering, and more. These events are poised to ignite fresh innovations, technologies, and collaborative models born from international industry-education-research-application cooperation.

Visitors learn about cases of Chinese-foreign cooperation in the industry, education, research, and application. [Photo/WeChat account: weixunjiangsu]