On 20 April, JIN Li, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Fudan University, met with the University of Cambridge delegation led by Chancellor Lord Chris Smith, and Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice. The two sides exchanged views on further expanding academic and educational exchanges between the two universities and renewed their Memorandum of Understanding on university-level cooperation. CHEN Zhimin, Vice-President of Fudan University, attended the meeting.
On the same day, Fudan Centre for Advancing Global Collaboration and Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, signed a cooperation agreement to promote exchanges and collaboration, including a visiting student programme for Fudan students at Fitzwilliam College; Fudan student participation in the FitzEd Educational programmes; and a visiting fellowship opportunity for Fudan academics at Fitzwilliam College.
Lord Smith expressed his gratitude for the hospitality extended by Fudan University. He noted that the University of Cambridge delegation had chosen Fudan as the first stop of their visit to China, reflecting the high importance Cambridge attaches to its partnership with Fudan. He pointed out that over the years, the two universities have achieved numerous important results together, and he looked forward to further deepening their research collaboration in areas such as global humanities and medical sciences.
Prentice stated that the two universities have already established strong cooperation in fields including humanities, life sciences, health, and neuroscience. She looks forward to consolidating the existing foundation of cooperation with Fudan and continuously exploring new areas of collaboration.
Jin welcomed the University of Cambridge delegation. He noted that Fudan and Cambridge share a long-standing and highly valued partnership. Since the signing of the previous MoU in 2019, cooperation between the two universities has continued to advance in a steady and substantive manner. Over the years, the two universities have established extensive academic exchanges in areas such as global humanities, brain-inspired intelligence and cognitive neuroscience.
He expressed hope for further progress in three areas: first, strengthening talent cultivation and academic exchange by expanding faculty and student mobility, exploring more structured joint training opportunities, and encouraging closer interaction among young scholars and future academic leaders; second, deepening interdisciplinary research collaboration by building on existing strengths, and by exploring new joint platforms, collaborative projects, and stronger institutional support for long-term cooperation; and third, enhancing the global impact of this partnership by jointly contributing to global academic dialogue, scientific innovation, and solutions to shared challenges facing humanity.
In the afternoon, Baroness Sally Morgan, Master of Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, and Chair of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, visited Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Professor David Cardwell, Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, and Professor of Superconducting Engineering, delivered a guest lecture titled “Bulk Superconductors: Revolution or Red Herring?” to Fudan faculty and students at the Yuan Chuang Innovation Center.
The University of Cambridge, founded in 1209, is the fourth oldest university in the world. It is also a world-leading public research university, a member of the British G5 Super Elite, and a core member of the Russell Group.
Fitzwilliam College, established in 1869, is one of the 31 colleges of the University of Cambridge. Known for its strong academic excellence, the college has produced numerous Nobel laureates. Its motto is “Ex antiquis et novissimis optima”.
(END)
Writer: LI Yijie
Editor: WANG Mengqi
