On December 3, President Guo Dongming was invited to deliver a keynote speech at UK-China University Consortium on Engineering Education and Research High-Level Forum 2020.

This high-level forum was the first event in a series of online seminars organized by the consortium, with the online participation of presidents and vice presidents from 14 famous universities in China and the UK, who elaborated their thoughts on the development of universities around the theme of “Recovery, Adaptation and Opportunities—How Covid-19 Re-shaped the Higher Education and What Universities Can Do to Adapt to It”.

President Guo Dongming delivered a keynote speech entitled “The Mission and Responsibility of First-Class Universities: Reflections and Practices on Strengthening International Cooperation among Universities in the Post-Epidemic Era”. He pointed out that universities have always been important participants in the progress of international community. In the post-epidemic era, it is all the more important for universities to strengthen cooperation to achieve win-win development. During the epidemic period, Dalian University of Technology (DUT) has insisted on international exchanges continuously, and has prepared for the next phase of international cooperation and exchange through a number of initiatives. On the one hand, we have expanded the platform and space for international cooperation in the post-epidemic era through online exchanges and other forms. On the other hand, we have actively promoted the construction of English courses in science and engineering fields and provided curriculum support for top talents from British universities to study in China. At the same time, we have consolidated cooperative relationships and have provided policy support for excellent students from British universities to study in DUT. Based on the previous practices, DUT has explored a very practical approach to attracting international students to study at the university, which is to promote long-term credit/degree study with a beforehand short-term study experience.

President Guo Dongming expressed his hope to take this high-level forum as an opportunity to further enhance the mutual understanding and trust between the two sides, and make more contributions to the friendship between the students of two countries by deepening the cooperation and communication as well as the exchange mode of “studying in the same classroom and living on the same campus”, so as to cultivate more science and technology talents who are familiar with the history and culture of China and the UK.

UK-China University Consortium on Engineering Education and Research is a university consortium co-established by 9 Chinese “double first-class” universities specializing in engineering education and 9 British first-class universities from the Russell Group. Founded in 2017 and led by Southeast University, the consortium is the first professional university consortium featuring engineering education and research in China and the UK. It was included in the achievements of the 5th High-Level China-UK People to People Dialogue and has received high recognition and strong support from the Chinese and British governments. The consortium cooperation covers disciplines such as electronics, electrical engineering, and intelligent manufacturing, and is dedicated to meeting the innovative R&D needs of the Chinese and British societies as well as the global community.