Vice Secretary of the Party Committee, Sheng Jianlong, Led a Delegation to Germany and Austria for an Exchange Visit

Published by: Office of International Relations
Office Editor: Chen Machuan Published on: September 27, 2023

WUST News From September 18 to 25, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee, Sheng Jianlong, led a delegation to visit Germany and Austria. During the visits, they participated in the academic celebration of the 20th anniversary of cooperation between WUST and the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, and visited the Chinese Embassy in Vienna.

The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg organized the academic celebration of the 20th anniversary of cooperation with WUST. Sheng Jianlong delivered a speech at the celebration. He reviewed the academic exchanges, research collaborations, and platform development that both universities had achieved together over the past twenty years. He expressed gratitude to the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg for its support in the construction and development of disciplines at WUST. He expressed the hope that both universities can continue to promote student and faculty exchanges in disciplines such as refractory materials, metallurgy, and mining. He emphasized the importance of further strengthening research collaborations and obtaining approval for an International Joint Laboratory from the Ministry of Education.

The President of the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht, and the Vice President in charge of research and international cooperation, Tobias Fieback, attended the meeting. Academic reports were given by the Deputy Leader of the Coordination Group for the State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Li Yawei, and the Humboldtian Scholar at the Department of Materials Science, Dai Yajie, from WUST. In addition, presentations were given by Christos G. Aneziris, the Director of the Institute of Ceramics, Refractories, and Composite Materials; Heinz Koniezky, the Director of the Institute of Rock Mechanics; and Olena Volkova, the Director of the Institute of Steel Technology at the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg. Representatives of teachers and students from WUST who are currently engaged in exchanges at the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg also attended the celebration.

During the visit, Sheng Jianlong and his delegation had in-depth visits to the Institute of Ceramics, Refractories, and Composite Materials, the Institute of Rock Mechanics, and the Institute of Steel Technology. They gained insights into the progress of research collaborations between the two universities and expressed high expectations for future cooperation in research team collaboration and the cultivation of senior talents.

At Montanuniversität Leoben in Austria, Sheng Jianlong and his delegation met with Vice President Thomas Prohaska to renew the cooperation agreement between the two universities. They also exchanged ideas on further expanding and deepening research collaboration and joint student training. Deputy Director of the International Relations Office, Yang Xi, gave a presentation on the 15-year collaborative achievements between the two universities and the future direction of cooperation. Sheng Jianlong expressed that Montanuniversität Leoben shares similar disciplinary backgrounds with WUST, and a win-win cooperation is in line with the development strategies of both universities. He expressed strong hope for future cooperation between the two universities in the cultivation of senior talents. He expressed his desire for closer cooperation, expansion of collaborative areas, and enrichment of collaborative content, aiming to continuously create new prospects for educational cooperation between both two countries and two universities.

Sheng Jianlong held discussions with Harald Harmuth, the Director of the Institute of Ceramics at Montanuniversität Leoben, regarding the application to the Ministry of Education for the establishment of a Sino-Austrian dual-degree graduate program between the Department of Materials Science at WUST and the Institute of Ceramics at Montanuniversität Leoben. Harald Harmuth expressed his support for the initiative and hoped that both parties could cooperate at a higher level to further enhance the quality of talent training.

After the meeting, Sheng Jianlong and his delegation held a discussion with representatives of WUST who are currently visiting and studying at Montanuniversität Leoben, in order to understand their study and living conditions abroad. Sheng Jianlong conveyed the concern and greetings to the representatives attending the discussion. He encouraged them to work hard, focus on research, and return home after completing their studies.

During the visit to Austria, Sheng Jianlong and his delegation also visited the Department of Science, Technology, Education, and Culture at the Chinese Embassy in Austria. They had discussions with the Director, Huang Chongling, on how to further deepen educational cooperation with Austrian and other EU universities. They expressed the hope that, with the support of the embassy, they can continuously expand high-quality educational resources and broaden cooperation in science and education between our university and Austrian, as well as other EU universities. They aim to promote new developments in higher education openness to the outside world. Sheng Jianlong also shared WUST's talent recruitment policies, demands, and training plans. He expressed a desire to invite outstanding young talents from overseas to join WUST with the assistance of the diplomatic missions abroad.

This visit further strengthened the emotional connection with overseas partners. It also consolidated and expanded WUST's international cooperation network, supporting the high-quality internationalization of disciplines and WUST's high-level openness to the outside world. It has laid a solid foundation for high-level cooperation between WUST and overseas institutions in the post-pandemic era. Accompanying the delegation were Cheng Changgui, the Dean of the Graduate School, and Ding Yu, the Dean of the Undergraduate School. (Office of International Relations)