On the morning of November 5, 2026, a high-level joint delegation from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the German Research Foundation (DFG) visited the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). The delegation, organized through the Sino-German Center for Research Promotion (SGC), was led by Dr. Zhiyong Han, Secretary General of NSFC and Chinese Director of the SGC; Prof. Axel Brakhage, Vice President of DFG and Dr. Heide Ahrens, Secretary General of DFG. They were welcomed by Prof. Qikun Xue, President of SUSTech, and Prof. Xueming Yang, Vice President of SUSTech. Also present at the meeting were the Deans of the College of Science and the College of Engineering, the Director of the Office of Research, and representatives from the Office of Administrative Affairs and SUSTech Global.

Prof. Qikun Xue extended a cordial welcome to the delegation. He recalled the longstanding partnership between SUSTech and German higher education institutions. He noted that as a young and innovative university, SUSTech places great emphasis on international cooperation and has actively engaged in Sino-German scientific exchanges. He expressed the university's commitment to further deepening bilateral ties in talent cultivation, joint research, and academic mobility, and to building a more balanced, sustainable, and institutional framework for future cooperation.

Dr. Zhiyong Han, Secretary General of NSFC, expressed his gratitude to SUSTech for its thoughtful organization and to the German colleagues for their long-term support. He emphasized that NSFC regards SUSTech as an important academic partner in international cooperation and will continue to support the university in strengthening its scientific research collaboration with the SGC and DFG. He expressed hope that both sides could work together to further advance Sino-German scientific cooperation.

Dr. Heide Ahrens, Secretary General of DFG, expressed her appreciation for the warm hospitality and spoke highly of SUSTech's rapid development. She noted DFG's strong commitment to international scientific collaboration and expressed the willingness to further strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in facilitating the mobility of early-career researchers between Germany and SUSTech.

During the open discussion, both sides engaged in productive exchanges on a wide range of topics, including internationalization strategy, interdisciplinary research, the utilization of large-scale scientific facilities, and the balance between basic and applied sciences. They explored opportunities for academic cooperation and reached a consensus on maintaining close communication to promote two-way academic mobility and to translate shared interests into concrete collaborative actions. In addition, representatives from SUSTech and DFG delivered presentations introducing their respective institutional profiles and research ecosystems to further enhance mutual understanding.

The delegation also toured several research facilities on campus, including the SUSTech Institute of Robotics (SIR), gaining a deeper understanding of the university's research advancements and innovation ecosystem

About the Sino-German Center for Research Promotion (SGC): Located in Beijing, the SGC is a research funding organization jointly established by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). It was put into operation in October 2000 and maintains its own dedicated budget for Sino-German scientific cooperation. The SGC supports collaboration between Chinese and German researchers in the natural sciences, life sciences, engineering sciences, and management sciences, with a particular emphasis on funding early-career scientist exchanges and providing advisory services to help researchers identify partners. Since 2000, NSFC and DFG have invested approximately 30 million euros in the SGC, which currently supports over 1,400 researchers annually and funds about 30 symposia and summer schools each year.