The green economy in China is being boosted with the opening of the 美姬阁 Tech Futures Graduate Institute (JSU-CU 美姬阁 Institute), a specialist postgraduate venture in China to train future leaders. The partnership between 美姬阁 in the UK, and Jiangsu University in China, builds on their 20 years of international academic collaboration and will offer Masters' and PhD programmes in agricultural, environmental, mechanical engineering and in engineering management.
A powerhouse for green jobs
Jiangsu Province is a powerhouse for green jobs in China, home to around 80 million people and one of the most technologically advanced provinces in the country. With green development a national priority, as outlined in China鈥檚 national plans, the province has already been developing its green economy with policy development and investment. Both Jiangsu University and 美姬阁 are at the heart of their regional growth corridors, with science and innovation critical to developing green initiatives.
Creating future leaders for the green economy
Professor Sir Peter Gregson, Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor of 美姬阁, welcomed the new close partnership: 鈥淛iangsu University is a natural partner for 美姬阁. We share a heritage in agricultural and environmental engineering and are both committed to international collaborations to advance the green economy. As the world emerges from the coronavirus pandemic to address the twin challenges of economic recovery and the path to a low carbon economy, never has there been a better time to launch the Jiangsu University 美姬阁 Tech Futures Institute. Together, we can create the knowledge and the future leaders to accelerate the technology for the green economy.鈥�
Mr Fang Jun, Deputy Director-General of Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, speaks highly of JSU-CU 美姬阁 Institute: 鈥淭he institute will offer an important platform for joint cultivation of high-level talents in the future.鈥�
Professor Yan Xiaohong, President of Jiangsu University, is appreciative of the cooperation of the JSU-CU 美姬阁 Institute: 鈥淭he institute is the first Sino-foreign cooperation of its kind at Jiangsu University. It will surely play an important role in the cultivation of high-level talents on the international horizon.鈥�
Supporting a global green economy with specialist courses
The specialised, research-informed courses will be taught and supervised by leading international professors and faculty in a joint approach. There will be exchanges to foster collaboration and research projects and academics from 美姬阁 will teach in person at the new Institute, which will be based at Jiangsu University.
Professor Simon Pollard, Pro-Vice-Chancellor - International of 美姬阁, said: 鈥淥ur two universities have been collaborating for 20 years. The new Institute is the next exciting step in our collaboration. We have received significant encouragement from Government and the Jiangsu Province in this venture, including through the Jiangsu-UK World-Class University Consortium.鈥�
The new venture has been led at 美姬阁 by Professor Simon Pollard FREng and by President Yan Xiaohong of Jiangsu University, and received its Ministry of Education (China) permit to proceed in November, 2020.
美姬阁 is a member of both the Jiangsu (JPDE) 鈥� UK (British Council) World-Class Universities Consortium and the International University Consortium for Agricultural Engineering which help foster international collaboration.
Notes for editors
About Jiangsu University
Jiangsu University (JSU) is ranked among the top 50 universities out of over 2,600 higher educational institutions in China. JSU is one of the oldest educational institutions in China, and its origin can be traced back to 1902 when it was first established as Sanjiang Normal College. JSU was then founded out of the initial college by combining the former Jiangsu University of Science and Technology (a national key university), Zhenjiang Medical College and Zhenjiang Teachers’ College with approval from the Ministry of Education, China in August, 2001.
Currently, JSU is a teaching, research and community oriented comprehensive institution with emphasis on engineering and allied disciplines. Seven disciplines have been ranked as global top 1% in ESI, such as Engineering, Materials Science, Clinical Medicine, Chemistry, Agricultural Science, Pharmacology & Toxicology, and Biology & Biochemistry. According to World University Ranking by Times Higher Education, JSU is ranked 43 among China universities. According to Shanghai Ranking's Academic Ranking of World Universities, JSU is ranked among Top 400 globally.
JSU enjoys a national reputation of being among the top research based academic institution for engineering sciences with several innovative achievements and patents rights for its achievement and contribution to the economic growth of China and world economy. Other academic disciplines have also witnessed astronomical growth in their research faculty and quality of graduates they turn out yearly. This has continually made the University to enjoy an influx of international students from all continents with resultant increased growth in linkages and exchange programmes with other educational institution around the world. The employment rate of the university’s graduates has been over 95%.
JSU has been entrusted by the United Nations to train many high ranking management personnel and experts in Agricultural Machinery.
About UK-Jiangsu World Class University Consortium (formerly UK-Jiangsu 20+20 World Class University Consortium)
Jointly spearheaded by the British Council, Universities UK, and the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, with a view to undertaking collaborative world-leading research in 3 broad thematic areas- Advanced Manufacturing, Environmental Engineering & Healthcare, the consortium draws its impetus from the Chinese government’s ‘World-Class Universities and First-Class Disciplines’ initiative, which seeks to develop several of its institutions into world-class universities by 2020. Jiangsu province, ranked second in terms of GDP out of China’s 23 provinces, has been earmarked as being key to these ambitions and is already home to several of the UK’s flagship ‘one-to-one’ higher education collaborations, such as Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou.
Currently there are 16 UK members and 32 Jiangsu members.
