On the morning of April 19, CUMT convened the 2026 Council Meeting of the International Alliance of Higher Education for Mining, Energy and Environment (AMEE). Vice President Bian Zhengfu attended the meeting and delivered an address. The meeting was moderated by Chen Wen, Director of the International Office.
A total of 28 representatives from 12 universities across 10 countries attended the meeting, including member universities of the Alliance: China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT), RWTH Aachen University (Germany), Ural State Mining University (Russia), AGH University of Krakow (Poland), The University of Queensland (Australia), University of Wollongong (Australia), University of New South Wales (Australia), Hanoi University of Mining and Geology (Vietnam), Catholic University of Salta (Argentina), and Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Yogyakarta (Indonesia); newly admitted member Tashkent State Technical University (Uzbekistan); and observer university the University of Strathclyde (UK).
In his remarks, Vice President Bian Zhengfu extended a warm welcome to all representatives attending the Council meeting. He noted that over the past two years, guided by the principles of openness, cooperation and mutual benefit, the Alliance has made encouraging progress in talent cultivation, research collaboration, and people-to-people exchanges through the joint efforts of all member universities. He expressed the expectation to further expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation among member universities, strengthen exchanges and training for young scholars, deepen industry-education integration to enhance the Alliance’s capacity to serve social and industrial development, and continue to run flagship programs such as the Alliance Summer School. He stated that as the host of the Alliance Secretariat, CUMT will promote higher-quality development in resource sharing, joint platform building, and collaborative talent cultivation, and work together with member universities to open a new chapter of Alliance cooperation.
At the Council meeting, Chen Wen, Director of the International Office of CUMT, was elected as the new Secretary-General of the Alliance. The meeting also approved the application of Tashkent State Technical University (Uzbekistan) to join the Alliance. On behalf of the Secretariat, Secretary-General Chen Wen delivered the 2024–2025 work report, systematically summarizing bilateral and multilateral cooperation conducted under the Alliance framework, including high-level exchanges and visits, faculty and student mobility, summer schools, research collaboration, and jointly organized international conferences. Representatives from member universities engaged in in-depth discussions on the 2026–2027 work plan, focusing on bilateral and multilateral joint talent cultivation, cross-university research coordination, and co-organization of international conferences and flagship events, and reached a preliminary work plan.
Before and after the Council meeting, Vice President Bian Zhengfu and the International Office held bilateral talks with Professor Tadeusz Telejko, Vice President of AGH University of Krakow (Poland); Professor Gleb Igorevich Batrak, Rector of Ural State Mining University (Russia); Professor Nguyen The Vinh , Vice President of Hanoi University of Mining and Geology (Vietnam); as well as representatives from National University of San Marcos (Peru), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), and the University of São Paulo (Brazil). During the talks, both sides reviewed the history of inter-university cooperation, showcased recent developments and achievements, and engaged in in-depth exchanges on talent cultivation, research collaboration, and joint platform building, reaching multiple cooperation intentions and further deepening pragmatic inter-university partnerships.
It is noted that the International Alliance of Higher Education for Mining, Energy and Environment (AMEE) is a multilateral non-profit university international organization initiated by CUMT during its centennial celebration in 2009, jointly established with world-renowned universities in the fields of mining, energy, and environment from countries including the United States, Germany, Australia, and Vietnam. To date, the Alliance has expanded to 22 universities from 14 countries, all working together to make positive contributions to addressing global challenges in mining, energy and the environment.
