Trinity yesterday confirmed the beginning of a joint research programme as well as an exchange programme with Beijing Foreign Studies University.
The announcement was made as part of a state visit to China led by Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan.
Juliette Hussey, Trinity’s Vice President for Global Relations, spoke at the announcement in Beijing. The goal of the partnership, she claimed, is to “promote academic collaboration between both institutions that will involve new mobility opportunities for both staff and students as well as research collaborations.”
The project, Hussey explained, is part of Trinity’s mission “to develop partnerships in China.” Following the opening of Trinity’s New Centre for Asian Studies earlier this month, Hussey described the partnership as “an enabler” for the work done by the centre, “which aims to be the leading knowledge centre in Ireland for policy-makers, business leaders and scholars in the field.”
In addition to this, Minister O’Sullivan this morning launched Trinity’s new bachelor in business studies undergraduate degree in China. Coinciding with this announcement, College launched its International Foundation Programme that will enable Chinese students to gain entry to a range of undergraduate degrees in Trinity. O’Sullivan said: “This new bachelor in business studies as well as the International Foundation Programme are important developments in promoting partnerships with China. They highlight Trinity’s ongoing commitment to Chinese collaborations, as well as fostering a deep engagement with China which is vital for our students.”
Including Beijing Foreign Studies University, Trinity has 16 major partnerships with universities in the East Asia region. These include universities in Japan, Korea, Singapore, the Hong Kong region, as well as Mainland China.
At the launch of the Centre for Asian Studies earlier this month, provost Patrick Prendergast spoke about the importance of universities in developing greater ties between the two regions. “We are educating the graduates, Irish and Asian, who will foster future relationships,” he said, “we are incubating the academic collaborations which help bring our scholars and countries together and produce research of global value.”
Prendergast is planning a visit to Shanghai, Suzhou and Hong Kong later in the year where student exchange agreements will be finalised with Fudan University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
