The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) held a seminar on cooperation and exchange and signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement at the Yuquanlu campus of the UCAS on the afternoon of May 24.

Founded at a time when China sought to be stronger, the 121-year-old SJTU has thrived with China's reform and opening up, growing into a domestically and internationally renowned university thanks to talented people. Today, it is striving to become a world-class university, especially in the field of engineering.

The UCAS, on the other hand, was founded on the basis of New China's first graduate school. It cultivated high-end talents including New China's first PhD students in science and engineering, first female PhD student, and first double-degree doctoral student. Its postgraduate education leads other Chinese universities, and undergraduate education is also emerging rapidly.

The two universities, both aiming to make remarkable contributions to the Chinese nation through achievements in science and technology, will engage in strategic cooperation in the next five years with the signing of the agreement.

Zhang Jie, CAS vice president and UCAS Party chief, said President Xi Jinping made the "Four Firsts" requirement on behalf of the central leadership while visiting CAS four years ago, which actually endorsed  CAS as a reliable force for the implementation of China's national science and technology strategy. The UCAS will play an important role in facilitating CAS to be the first national highland for innovative talents, he said, adding the signing of the deal marks a new measure in implementing China's strategy of stepping up the efforts to build world-class universities and disciplines, and that it will boost collaborative innovation between the two universities, development of disciplines, and cultivation of outstanding talents.

Zhang called on the two sides to actively explore new cooperation models and set an example for others in this regard, accelerate the pace of  building themselves into world-class universities with Chinese characteristics, and make worthy contributions to the realization of the Chinese dream.

On June 9, Zhang gave a lecture at an event promoting the UCAS's postgraduate programs at SJTU, attracting more than 400 students.

Zhang introduced the history and organizational structures of CAS and the UCAS, CAS's contributions to China's science and technology progress, economic and social development, and national security, as well as the UCAS's position in China's postgraduate education system and its important contributions.

The UCAS's unique advantages lie in infrastructure, research platforms, faculty, talent cultivation modes, featured disciplines, and financial support systems, Zhang said.

He encouraged students at SJTU to apply for the UCAS, which boasts "the highest-level faculty, the most advanced cultivation philosophy, the strongest research platform and the best learning conditions". Students will "meet the UCAS and discover the incredible self" in the most important moments of their lives, and fulfill their "most brilliant science dreams" at the UCAS.

UCAS and SJTU sign a strategic cooperation framework agreement at the Yuquanlu campus of the UCAS on May 24. (Image by UCAS)

Source: UCAS