Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    SOUTHERN University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTech) will enhance cooperation with University of Birmingham in exchanges of teaching, research, students and teachers, according to a meeting with visiting chancellor and professor of the University of Birmingham, David Eastwood, on Friday.

    The two sides also plan to establish a joint research center based on artificial intelligence, big data and intelligent robotics.

    The cooperation is an extension of an agreement signed by the two universities to train students for doctorate degrees in August last year.

    According to the agreement, tutors from two universities will train 20-30 doctorate degree students a year, mainly in the fields of computing, engineering, chemistry, bio-medicine and life science.

    “We hope to have more cooperation with the city through SUSTech, a high-level, high-standard, visionary and innovation-based young university in a fast-growing city in China,” said David Eastwood during a meeting with Vice Mayor Liu Qingsheng.

    Also on Friday, a joint workshop of MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and SUSTech College of Engineering was held at SUSTech to share ideas on advanced technologies in 3-D printing, quantum computing, driverless cars, robotics and bioengineering.

    “The workshop is a beginning for professors of two universities to know each other and develop teams for future research,” Chen Gang, head of MIT Mechanical Engineering Department, said in an interview.

    Chen praised Shenzhen’s innovation capabilities and its development of higher education. Chen thinks a solid foundation in fundamental sciences, a good environment for entrepreneurship and close partnerships between universities and enterprises are key factors in training students with innovative capabilities.

    The centuries-old MIT has cultivated 85 Nobel Prize winners.