On May 19, CUMT and the University of Exeter in the UK co-hosted the signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding via video link. Prof. Zhou Fubao, Vice President of CUMT and Prof. Mark Goodwin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) of Exeter attended the ceremony and signed the MoU on behalf of each side.
Vice President Zhou expressed appreciation to the Exeter for their support for the cooperation. Looking back on the efforts made by the two sides, Zhou said that since July of 2020, the two universities have shown great sincerity by taking actions including academic exchange and bilateral meeting at both school and university level, which have led to broad consensus. The MoU marks a new chapter for the two universities in the long term collaboration in a pragmatic manner following the principle of “collaboration, sharing and win-win”.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Goodwin hoped to see high-level educational programs in the areas of mining, energy and environment carried out by the Exeter and CUMT, given the fact that the two universities share common disciplinary background and academic strength. Facing the COVID-19, the two universities need to work more closely together on research collaboration to cope with the global challenges such as climate and environment. He expected pragmatic cooperation on talent cultivation and joint research by taking advantage of educational resources and experience of international cooperation of each side.
During the ceremony, Vice President Zhou and Prof. Zhongdong Wang, Exeter Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean (CEMPS), exchanged ideas on the future cooperation between CUMT and the Exeter. Zhou proposed working plans in the areas of student cultivation, Sino-UK cooperative institution, staff exchange and professional development as well as joint research. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Wang suggested more exchange activities between the teachers and students, in the fields of geological engineering, mining engineering, renewable energy, computer science, mathematics and physics, with an aim to promote the in-depth cooperation, further serve for the Net-Zero carbon emission and sustainable development, and push forward the collaborative ties between the two universities.
Following the ceremony, CUMT and the Exeter co-hosted the Seminar on Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Technology. Experts from CUMT’s School of Electrical and Powering Engineering and related schools at the Exeter shared ideas focusing on smart grid and efficient storage technology. In the meantime, an online Study at Exeter presentation was delivered by the Exeter CEMPS.
Representatives from Exeter’s Department of Global, CEMPS, Camborne School of Mines as well as their counterparts at CUMT in the International Office, School of Electric and Power Engineering, the School of Resource and Geosciences attended the above activities.
