Relationships being built between the University of Warwick and China

The University of Warwick and China’s South University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) have signed a new agreement that will see some of China’s top students attending Warwick to study for a PhD.

An agreement like the ‘Collaborative PhD Mobility Agreement’ has never been made before between SUSTech and a European university.

It was signed by Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Stuart Croft, and the President of SUSTech, Professor Chen Shiyi, on Monday August 8 at Warwick campus.

The agreement means that some SUSTech students can study a PhD at the University of Warwick and ultimately gain a doctoral degree.

The course entails that the Chinese students spend the first two years at Warwick and the final two years at SUSTech. Throughout the degree the students will have a supervisor from each university.

SUSTech was founded in 2011 in Shenzhen and is considered a key contributor to the Chinese higher education reform. The Nature Index 2016 Rising Star ranked SUSTech as 62nd in the top 100 institutions in the world for high-quality science.

Our agreement further strengthens the proud, existing bond enjoyed by the University of Warwick and China – one which will surely continue to grow.

Professor Croft, Vice-Chancellor

Before the new agreement, Warwick already had links with SUSTech. Professor Jianfeng Feng of Warwick’s Department of Computer Science and Martin Wills of the Department of Chemistry have professional relationships with their academic counterparts at SUSTech.

Warwick also fosters a strong relationship with China in general. There are 1,750 Chinese students studying on its campus and a Warwick office based in China.

Professor Croft expresses his excitement at the ensuing agreement: “Our agreement further strengthens the proud, existing bond enjoyed by the University of Warwick and China – one which will surely continue to grow.

I look forward to the exciting opportunities this collaboration will bring to both universities, and am delighted to welcome the PhD students from SUSTech.”

His enthusiasm is mirrored by SUSTech’s Professor Shiyi Chen who stated that “international engagement is pivotal to SUSTech’s vision as a 21st-century global university”.

Professor Chen is particularly excited at the prospect of partnering with Warwick because “as a successful young innovative university, Warwick’s experience is of great value to us.”

As an example of how the universities are collaborating as a result of the agreement, the Chairperson of SUSTech’s Chemistry Department, Professor Xumu Zhang, has been invited to give a talk at Warwick on the subject of Practical Asymmetric Hydrogenation.

The first students to benefit from this agreement are due to start a doctoral program at the University of Warwick in 2017 and the agreement is set to last for the next five years.