To enhance the cooperation between ZJU and Imperial in building a joint center at Imperial’s White City Campus, ZJU’s Vice Executive President Song Yonghua paid a visit to Imperial College London for in-depth discussions over issues such as the naming, launching, and proper using of the center. After meeting with Imperial’s Provost James Stirling, Vice President David Gann, Vice Provost Maggie Dallman, and so on, Song and his Imperial partners reached several agreements, including holding the signing ceremony of UK-China Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure in the place of the joint center at the end of this year if possible.Both sides also discussed the possibility of holding a performance jointly presented by ZJU’s WenQin Art Troupe and Imperial’s art troupe at London.
After that, Song talked to Guo Yike, Director of Data Science Institute, and Tim Green, Director of Energy Futures Lab at Imperial in detail as to how to run the center. Both sides agreed that the center shall conduct joint educational and research cooperation in fields as diverse as energy, big data, water treatment, environment and resources, electrical engineering, engineering design, transportation, computer science and public management，that an academic committee consisting of both party’s senior professors should be built，and that at the initial stage, some amount of seed money shall be provided. Speaking of talent cultivation, they encouraged ZJU’s Doctoral candidates to relate their research subjects to that of the center to ensure the consistency of their study and improve the research capability. Meanwhile, they discussed the possibility of establishing a joint center at ZJU’s International Campus in Haining as the partnership extends.
On the same day, Song paid a site visit to the nearly-completed center, accompanied by the project manager Eulian JF Roberts. He asked in detail about the progress of the project such as its space planning, interior decoration and finish time, and both sides expressed the hope that the center could come into use as soon as possible.
Song Yonghua in discussion with the project leaders
Song Yonghua on site visit