At 10:30 PM Beijing time on April 18, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Moscow State University signed an online agreement for a joint PhD program. This milestone agreement was signed by Presidents Ding Kuiling and Viktor Sadovnichy, with the presence of China's Minister of Education, Huai Jinpeng, in a combined online and offline ceremony.

The offline ceremony for the Russian side was held in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Other participating Chinese universities included Peking University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Northeast Normal University, Nanchang University, and Shenzhen MSU-BIT University.

Founded in 1755, Moscow State University is the largest and oldest comprehensive research university in Russia. In 2017, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Moscow State University first signed an inter-university cooperation memorandum. Following this, the Department of Mathematics and Mechanics at Moscow State University and the School of Mathematics and School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University signed joint center cooperation agreements. To cultivate more high-level talents, the two universities have established joint PhD programs in key fields such as aerospace, mathematics, and biology, providing students with broader academic perspectives and richer learning resources.

The signing of this joint PhD program agreement marks a new height in the collaboration between Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Moscow State University. It signifies that both institutions will jointly cultivate more high-level talents with global vision and innovative spirit, contributing wisdom and strength to the advancement of global science and technology and social development.