As a part of our internationalization strategy, our Campus draws efforts from some of SEU schools and explores cooperation with universities all over the globe via bilateral agreements, research oriented interaction, and cooperative programmes. KU Leuven is one of the most significant partners of ours in this whole landscape of an internationalized institution. And our cooperation with KU Leuven, which can be traced back to the MOU signed in Belgium, is launched between this world top 50 university and SEU Wuxi Campus and SEU Information Science and Engineering School, with the mission of prioritising long-term relationships in their well-developed domains and developing scholars who are devoted to world insightful theoretical & practical research on regional and national electronics, information sciences & engineering.
In 2019, with efforts from professors and officials from both institutions and local government, the rounds of talks were concluded in a bilateral agreement around collaborative talent cultivation, a premise to the ultimate joint international school over the long run, Wuxi government representative Xia Liu (left) and SEU Wuxi Campus President Baosheng Jin (right) as the signing representatives. [Photo provided by SEU Wuxi Campus]
The KU Leuven program is a project based on SEU Wuxi Campus (in operation from September 2019, 48 students registered) and will run all the way round within our Campus until 2025. It is a home-based China-foreign joint education project with the aim to give students world top course and research resources even without going abroad, a preferable option for students who want to earn joint Master's or Ph.D. degrees.
Every year, 50 students will be selected from applicants (whose research directions may vary around circuit & systems, electromagnetic field & microwave, information & communications, electronics & communications) admitted to the Information Science and Engineering School of SEU trough qualifying examinations and interview, becoming candidates that will be trained by professors and academicians from both institutions for about a whole semester. After the 1st semester of collaborative training which consists of 9 (Master’s) or 6 (Ph.D.) courses and 1/3 from Belgian scholars, candidates demonstrating exceptionality for the coursework in China and interests in electronics and communication during their studies are invited to train on the joint education program at KU Leuven in Belgium. Students approved to pursue the joint degree program must complete the requirements of both institutions, including the distinct introductory and advanced courses stipulated by each during the 1st semester at the Campus, and the English language proficiency. They are supposed to perform research projects and do their thesis defense supported by supervisors from both institutions. The final award of degree is from both Belgian and Chinese universities after completion of studying for the entire duration abroad.
The ultimate goal of this program is to co-establish a joint school typically structured for students to study at SEU Wuxi Campus and pursue studies leading to the award of two degrees from SEU and KU Leuven.
KU Leuven enjoys a history of almost 600 years, making it one of Europe’s oldest universities. For research, KU Leuven ranks among the world’s finest. From Renaissance philosophy to cutting-edge nanotechnology, as it features, it boasts a long tradition of ground-breaking research and high-quality education, and a lasting commitment to reconciling cutting-edge science with quality of life and openness to talent by its unique profile. The areas they cooperate with us are also top rated in the world and the IMEC concentrating on nano electronics and digital technologies they developed with some of their expert scholar teams to promote our partnership is a research platform aimed for a world-class infrastructure.
