From October 26 to November 2, 2025, Vice President Weidong Liu of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) led a university delegation to visit Germany, Greece, and Switzerland. The trip aimed to deepen academic exchanges and research collaboration with universities and research institutions in the three countries, and to further expand SJTU’s global cooperation network.
On October 27, the delegation attended the Board of Directors meeting of the Confucius Institute at Heidelberg University, where they also met with members of the newly established Advisory Committee. They held in-depth discussions on topics such as the institute’s annual development plan and cultural exchange initiatives, clarifying the next-stage direction and injecting new impetus into its high-quality development. Since its official establishment in September 2009, the Heidelberg Confucius Institute has set up nine Chinese language teaching centers and remains the only test center for the International Chinese Language Teacher Certificate in German-speaking regions. Over the past sixteen years, it has made remarkable achievements in Chinese language education and Sino-German cultural exchange.
That afternoon, the delegation visited Heidelberg University, where Vice President for International Affairs Marc Philippe Weller attended the meeting. The two sides renewed their Confucius Institute joint establishment agreement and held in-depth discussions on advancing cooperation in biomedical engineering, German language and literature, low-carbon development, and law.
On October 28, the delegation visited the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and met with Vice President Juliane Winkelmann. The two sides conducted detailed exchanges on dual master’s degree programs and joint doctoral training.
That afternoon, the delegation also visited TUM’s Institute of Flight System Dynamics, meeting with Director Florian Holzapfel. Both sides agreed to strengthen collaboration through joint course development and student exchange programs.
On October 29, the delegation visited the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and met with Vice President Professor Sophia Papaioannou. Faculty from SJTU’s School of Humanities and NKUA already have a solid foundation of cooperation in joint archaeology projects, summer schools, and co-curated exhibitions. In the future, the two universities will deepen cooperation in joint course development, student and faculty exchanges, and expand collaboration to include history and language teaching.
That afternoon, the delegation also visited the Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens and held discussions with Director Xinwei Li , gaining deeper insights into the dissemination of Chinese classical civilization in Greece and the bilateral cooperation in civilization heritage and innovation.
On October 30, the delegation visited the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (NCSR-Demokritos) and attended the inauguration ceremony of the China–Greece Joint Laboratory for Cultural Heritage, co-established by NCSR-Demokritos and SJTU. Bo Lai, acting head of the Chinese Embassy in Greece, Anastasios Gaitanis, Secretary-General for Research and Innovation of the Greek Ministry of Development, and SJTU Vice President Weidong Liu delivered remarks. Liu noted that the establishment of the joint laboratory not only brings new highlights to interdisciplinary frontier research but also injects fresh momentum into comparative studies and cultural exchange between China and Greece.
On October 31, the delegation visited the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland and held discussions with Associate Vice Presidents Annalisa Buffa, Nicolas Grandjean, and David Atienza. Both universities shared their key research priorities — including health, information, materials, and energy — and agreed to renew the university-level student exchange agreement, as well as to deepen cooperation in faculty exchange, summer schools, and research internships.
During the visit, the delegation also met with SJTU alumni working and studying in Lausanne, conveying the university’s warm regards.
Translated by: Denise
Proof read by: Rui Su
