Background and Purposes

The “17+1” initiative for the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is a key part of China’s “Belt and Road” strategy, with the Bulgarian Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) as an international institution specially established for China-CEE cooperation. Rural development, one of the top strategic prioritiesfor CEE countries, serves as a pillar in China-CEE cooperation. The Global Challenge Program of Bulgaria’s Rural Revitalization, held in 2018 and 2019, has received the second prize in the Shanghai “Xingzhi Cup” College Student Social Practice Competition and the SJTU Social Practice Grand Prize, and won accolades from the Educational Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria and the head of international cooperation of the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The project has also given birth to a monograph.

Based on good relations and cooperation with local embassies and professors of local universities and research institutes, the project is set in Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia this year. . At the workshop on China-CEE cooperation in rural revitalization, a sub-forum of the 2020 “China and Central & Eastern Europe International Scientific Forum, which has just concluded, experts from Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, and Romania discussed a plan for cooperation in rural revitalization in 2021. In this context, the project will further SJTU’s strategy in its cooperation with CEE countriesand expand joint efforts from both China and CEE countries to promote scientific and technological cooperation and talent training.

Objectives

1. To provide input on CEE rural revitalization based on field research, thorough analysis and comparative study of rural revitalization practices in Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, and Slovakia.

2. To enhance scientific and technological cooperation with CEE countries, based on which to jointly apply for future cooperative projects by the European Union and intergovernmental regular cooperation projects and other major projects.

3. To increase publicity of SJTU and promote its exchanges and cooperation with CEE countries, thus putting SJTU on the global stage and attracting more international students.

4. To pave the way for a CEE internship center and promote its operation.

5. To secure the support of the embassies or consulates-general of China and CEE countries, and to apply for awards at the provincial/ministerial or higher levels.

General Outline

1. Duration: Throughout the 2021 summer vacation;

2. Eligible participants: SJTU undergraduates and postgraduates specializing in architecture, landscape, and economic management, as well as students from CEE countries (no more than 4 students for each country);

3. Preparations: Inviting experts from CEE countries to give online lectures, introducing what typical rural areas of their countries are like;

4. Formulating a work agenda with experts from CEE countries involved

5. Applying for working visas in line with local COVID-19 control measures, and conducting field research into several typical rural communities within 10 days;

6. If access to visas are denied, organizing  online groups with the experts and students from CEE countries , and request students from CEE countries to conduct field research instead, according to the research proposal;

7. Defining roles of each workshop member, and working jointly to discuss research before produing project report based on findings, and arranging on-site exhibition.

Management Guidelines

The project, as part of the 2021 international cooperation program of SJTU School of Design, will be in the charge of competent departments of SJTU. The project leader, supported by student affairs managers and academic liaisons, will ensure the project progresses smoothlyand keep close contact with embassies and consulates-general.