On the morning of May 29, Prof. Bian Zhengfu, Vice President of China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT), held an online working meeting with Dr. Marnie Watson, Vice President of Griffith University (GU) in Australia. Representatives from relevant departments of both universities attended the meeting, including CUMT’s International Office and the School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, as well as Griffith University’s International Office, Griffith Sciences Group, and School of Engineering and Built Environment.

Bian Zhengfu congratulated Marnie Watson on her new role as the vice president of GU and highly commended the remarkable achievements of the long-term collaboration between the two institutions. He noted that CUMT and GU have established a solid cooperative foundation. The Sino-foreign cooperative education program in civil engineering, jointly launched by the two universities, is one of the earliest such programs between China and Australia. Since its inception, the program has yielded fruitful results in talent cultivation, curriculum development, and faculty team building, sending over 110 outstanding CUMT students to Australia for further studies. In 2020, the program was honored as a "Model Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education Program in Jiangsu Province." Bian Zhengfu emphasized that CUMT is willing to deepen strategic cooperation with GU by optimizing resource allocation and innovating management mechanisms to ensure the high-quality and sustainable development of the joint program. He also proposed expanding collaboration into new dimensions, such as joint postgraduate training and faculty research cooperation, to build a more diversified and in-depth inter-university partnership.

Marnie Watson reflected on the decade-long friendly cooperation between the two universities and expressed sincere gratitude for CUMT’s support in the joint program. She stated that GU highly values its strategic partnership with CUMT. Through open communication and joint efforts, both sides have overcome challenges and continuously improved the program, achieving substantial outcomes. Additionally, the jointly established Confucius Institute for Tourism has played a vital role in enhancing cultural and educational exchanges between China and Australia.

During the meeting, the two sides engaged in practical discussions on specific issues such as teaching and student academic progression, reaching multiple consensus points. The talks injected new momentum into deepening bilateral cooperation, with both universities agreeing to leverage their respective academic strengths to expand multi-level collaboration in research and faculty-student exchanges.