On the 2nd of October 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the University of Cyprus (UCY) and the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), in China. The agreement supports the collaboration between KIOS CoE and NUAA for teaching and research purposes.
The MoU was signed by the University of Cyprus Rector, Prof. Tasos Christofides, and the Vice-President of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Prof. Jiang Bin, who was accompanied by a delegation consisting of Professors and Administrative Personnel of the same University. The Director of the Political Section of the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus, Mr. Zhang Ning, and the Third Secretary, Mr. Xie Wenfeng, the Director and Deputy Director of the KIOS Center of Excellence, Professors Marios Polycarpou and Christos Panayiotou, the Acting Director of the UCY International Relations Service and Director of Confucius Institute, Mrs. Elena Avgoustidou-Kyriacou as well as the Chinese Director of Confucius Institute, Mrs. Cao Li, also attended the signing ceremony.
The two parties will collaborate to undertake joint research activities, such as the preparation of research and innovation proposals, funded by the European Commission and other sources, the exchange of data for research purposes, as well as the exchange of academics and students for teaching, research or studying purposes. In addition, the MoU gives the opportunity for joint organization of conferences, seminars, or lectures in areas of common interest.
During the signing ceremony, the UCY Rector, Prof. Tasos Christofides, mentioned that the University has already established strong bonds with the faculty of the NUAA through its KIOS Centre of Excellence. This cooperation, continued, includes so far joint publications, the reinforcement of the KIOS team with two post-docs from the Nanjing University, while in the past the Center hosted PhD students, who had been awarded scholarship from China to continue their studies in Cyprus for a year. The UCY, he added, needs international strategic partnerships to encourage creativity and development. With this way, it will become an international center of education, research, and innovation. Concluding, the Rector expressed his certainty that the cooperation between the two Universities will bring even more positive results.
The Vice-President of NUAA, Prof. Jiang Bin, said that the collaboration between academics from the two institutions began in 2004 and it currently continues in the present. The signing of the MoU, he continued, will open new horizons for collaboration between the two organizations, since there will be exchange of knowledge and know-how in areas of common interest.
Finally, the Director of the Political Section of the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus, Mr. Zhang Ning, expressed his satisfaction for the signing of the MoU, pointing out that this is another example that shows the strong relation between China and Cyprus in the field of education.
