Rector Jun Liu of City University of Macau led a delegation to visit the University of Minho (UMinho), and the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria in Portugal (IPL). They were warmly received by the Rector of UMinho, Rui Vieira de Castro, and the President of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Carlos Rabadão, respectively.
Visit to University of Minho
Rector Rui Vieira de Castro and Rector Jun Liu introduced the history, development, and current development of their universities, respectively. They also signed a memorandum of cooperation on behalf of both universities, expressed their expectations for deeper cooperation in student training, academic research, and faculty development, and provided a broader platform for academic exchanges between the two universities. Filomena Soares, Vice-Rector of the UMinho, also attended the discussions.
Dean José Alves of Facutly of Business of CityU, Dean Jin Lixian of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Executive Associate Dean Li Xi of the Faculty of International Tourism and Management, respectively, had extensive and in-depth exchanges with faculty of the UMinho, namely João Cardoso Rosas, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Cláudia Simões, Professor of at the School of Economics and Management, Paula Remoaldo, Dean of the Institute of Social Sciences, José M. González-Meijome, Dean of the School of Sciences, Maria Beatriz Ferreira Leite Oliveira Pereira, Dean of the School of Education, and Pedro Martins Arezes, Dean of the School of Engineering. Both parties discussed the potential cooperation in faculty and student exchange programs, joint student training, and scientific research, reached preliminary cooperation intentions and proposed a plan for the cooperation process. They hoped to combine their strengths in areas such as Portuguese language teaching, applied linguistics, cross-cultural communication, cultural heritage and industry, and teacher training, as well as cooperate in areas such as cultural heritage tourism and tourism planning, launch graduate exchange programs, and jointly cultivate talents. They also planned to launch dual master's degree programs in management, and collaborate in interdisciplinary fields such as innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer.
During the period, Rector Jun Liu, accompanied by Vice Rector Sandra Paiva of UMinho met with Zhang Yan, the director of the Confucius Institute jointly established by UMinho and Nankai University, as well as local and Chinese educators. Both parties had in-depth discussions on the cultivation, training, and testing of Portuguese Chinese teachers.
Rector Jun Liu stated that UMinho is a well-known institution of higher education in Portugal. “Through this cooperation, CityU will expand the scales and reach of its international education, provide more international exchange opportunities for students, and inject new vitality into the University’s development,” he said. Representatives from UMinho also noted that the cooperation between the two universities will provide more academic exchange and practical opportunities for students, help cultivate high-quality talent with international vision and innovative thinking, and contribute to the international influence of both universities in the academic community. “The visit to Minho University not only strengthened the cooperation between the two parties but also opened a new chapter for cooperation in international education. Both parties will continue to strengthen communication and cooperation to make greater contributions to the international development of higher education,” Rector Liu said.
Visit to Polytechnic Institute of Leiria
Rector Jun Liu and his delegation had a friendly exchange with representatives from Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (IPL) on the same day regarding cooperation on talent development, academic discipline development, and mutual visits between faculties and students, and reached preliminary cooperation intentions. Nuno Almeida, Pro-president of IPL, and the Director of the International Mobility and Cooperation Office attended the discussion.
During the meeting, President Carlos Rabadão gave an overview of IPL. As a well-known public institution for higher education in Portugal, IPL was one of the first Portuguese universities recognized by the Chinese Ministry of Education. “IPL has five campuses with profound historical and cultural characteristics, and five faculties that focus on art, engineering, tourism, law, education, and offer comprehensive interdisciplinary courses. IPL also collaborates with several top Chinese universities to offer Portuguese language-related programs,” President Carlos Rabadão said.
Rector Jun Liu spoke highly of IPL’s development strategies and achievements, and introduced the achievements of CityU in disciplines construction and development, talent cultivation philosophy, and international education cooperation. He expressed his expectation for academic cooperation between the two universities to jointly cultivate professionals in the field of economic and trade for the exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and help consolidate with the development of Macao’s role as the cooperation platform.
Subsequently, Dean Jin Lixian of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dean José Alves of the Faculty of Business, Executive Associate Dean Li Xi of the Faculty of International Tourism and Management, and representatives from Polytechnic Institute of Leiria discussed in-depth the development strategy and implementation path of their faculties, as well as future cooperation opportunities. Both sides hoped to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of tourism management, business management, innovation and entrepreneurship, psychology, applied linguistics, and have confidence in the prospects for the development of cooperation between the two universities.
Other attendees at the meeting included Head Daryl Yang of the Office of Global Affairs of City University of Macau, and others.
Foward from "University News"