TURIN, Italy, June 15, 2026 – The 2026 Europe-China Technical University Presidents Dialogue Forum was held on June 15 at Politecnico di Torino. The forum focused on key themes such as "Engineering Education Amid Global Challenges." Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) was represented by Vice President Jin Li, who was invited to attend and deliver a keynote speech.

The forum gathered representatives from 25 high-level universities from China and Europe, including 12 of China’s leading universities from the national “Double First Class” program. Recognized as a valuable model of international academic cooperation, the event aimed to consolidate existing partnerships and explore new joint projects in strategic areas of research and innovation.

During the opening ceremony, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng delivered a video address, emphasizing the Chinese government's steadfast support for the coordinated development of engineering science, technology, and education. He expressed China's commitment to the principles of openness, cooperation, and sharing, hoping that Chinese and European universities would work together to embrace the digital era, deepen innovative development, and build an open, collaborative, and win-win engineering education ecosystem.

Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin and President of the Italian University Rectors' Conference Giovanni Ferrero also delivered speeches, affirming the forum's significance in strengthening international academic ties. Rector Stefano Corgnati of Politecnico di Torino delivered a welcome address, stating that innovation is the most important mission of universities. He emphasized that academic relations represent not only an opportunity for collaboration but a shared responsibility to generate knowledge and develop new skills. Noting that Politecnico has found a distinctive partner in China, he urged Chinese and European universities to share experiences and move forward together to tackle global challenges.

During the keynote session, Vice President Jin Li delivered a speech centered on the theme of "Talent Mobility and Joint Education Models." He analyzed the current challenges facing global academic cooperation. He outlined SUSTech’s exploration in joint education and cross-border talent mobility, proposing initiatives to jointly establish Joint Research Green Zones, co-build shared open research datasets, and launch a China-Europe Dual PhD Consortium Initiative, calling for deeper collaborative innovation between Chinese and European universities.

The 2026 Europe-China Technical University Presidents Dialogue Forum has built a high-level dialogue platform for universities from both continents. The educational models and cooperation initiatives shared by SUSTech provided valuable references for further deepening engineering education cooperation between China and Europe.