The opening ceremony of the ZJUT-Exeter Joint Institute was held at the Moganshan Campus on the afternoon of 16 January. Distinguished leaders and guests from both the UK and China attended the ceremony, including:

Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter; Professor Dan Charman, Senior Vice-President and Provost; Professor Richard Follett, Senior Vice-President and Provost;

Professor Cai Yuanqiang, Secretary of the Party Committee of Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT); Professor Zheng Huajun, Professor Hu Jun and Professor Chen Yao, Vice-Presidents of ZJUT; Professor Wu Juhui, Deputy Secretary of the University’s Party Committee; Mr. Wang Jianfeng, Deputy Party Secretary and Governor of Deqing County; Mr. Gao Qun, Standing Committee Member and Executive Deputy Governor of Deqing County Party Committee.

Also In attendance were the principal responsible officers of relevant functional departments and constituent colleges of ZJUT.

The ceremony was presided over by Professor Qiu Mingming, Secretary of the General Party Branch of the ZJUT-Exeter Joint Institute.

On-site Photos of the Ceremony

Cai Yuanqiang Delivering a Speech

Cai Yuanqiang stated that the ZJUT-Exeter Joint Institute will draw on ZJUT’s profound strengths in engineering disciplines and the high-quality educational resources of the Mogan Mountain Campus, integrate the world-class teaching and research excellence of the University of Exeter, and build a bridge linking the cultural heritage of West Lake with Britain’s academic traditions. He expressed the hope that the two universities will take the ZJUT-Exeter Joint Institute as a platform to pursue deeper, broader and more dynamic collaboration, foster mutual complementarity of strengths, resource sharing and mutual benefit, and jointly establish a benchmark for Sino-British higher education collaboration.

Lisa Roberts Delivering a Speech

Lisa Roberts noted that the establishment of the Joint Institute is not only a milestone in the long-standing friendly collaboration between the two universities, but also a new starting point for Sino-British higher education to work together to address global challenges and cultivate future talent. Going forward, the University of Exeter will fully integrate its high-quality educational resources with ZJUT's institutional strengths. The University of Exeter will stand alongside Zhejiang University of Technology to nurture more exceptional talent who will contribute to global sustainable development.

Wang Jianfeng Delivering a Speech

Wang Jianfeng expressed the hope that staff and students of the Joint Institute would "write their theses on the soil of Deqing and conduct their experiments on the soil of Deqing". He also anticipated that more international talent would put down roots and thrive here, and that more innovative achievements would be translated into tangible local value, fostering the aligned development and deep integration of the university and the local community. Deqing will deliver the most convenient services, the most internationalised environment and the strongest safeguards, ensuring every member of staff and every student can settle in Deqing without concern, live a fulfilling life and pursue entrepreneurial endeavours with confidence.

Unveiling Ceremony of the ZJUT-Exeter Joint Institute

Exchange of Gifts

Unveiling Ceremony of the ZJUT-Exeter Joint Research Centre

Launch of the ZUTE Promotional Video

Launch of the Future ZUTE Campus Master Plan Film

Appointment Ceremony

Scholarship Donation Ceremony

Outstanding Contribution Award Ceremony

Debut of the ZUTE Mascot

A series of significant activities took place during the ceremony, including the unveiling ceremony of the ZJUT-Exeter Joint Institute, the unveiling ceremony of the ZJUT-Exeter Joint Research Centre, the launch of the ZUTE promotional video, the launch of the future ZUTE campus master plan film, the appointment ceremony, the scholarship donation ceremony, the outstanding contribution award ceremony, and the debut of the ZUTE Mascot. Following the ceremony, the delegation from the University of Exeter toured the ZUTE offices and Phase II construction site.

Group Photo at the Opening Ceremony

The ZJUT-Exeter Joint Institute, the Zhejiang University of Technology, offers the following programmes:

Undergraduate Programmes: BSc Energy & Environmental Engineering, BSc Data Science, BSc Digital Media Technology

Postgraduate Programmes: MSc Energy and Power Engineering, MSc Electronic Information

The institute will welcome its first cohort of students this autumn.