From September 11th to 12th, the 18th Sino-German Symposium on Applied Higher Education was successfully held at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences (OUA) in Germany, undertaken by Hefei University(HFU) and OUA, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the joint establishment of HFU by China and Germany. After an on-site investigation of Sievert (Germany), Over 80 representatives from universities and institutions in both countries gathered to delve into the theme of “Innovation in Applied Talent Cultivation and Development of Industry-Education Integration”, discussing new paths for Sino-German cooperation in applied higher education.
Ren Yong, President of HFU, the Chinese chairman of the conference, presided over the opening ceremony. Christian Wulff, former President of Germany, extended his congratulations on the symposium and expressed his anticipation for the continued development of universities from both nations with this platform.
Joachim Schachtner, Secretary of the Science and Culture Ministry of Lower Saxony, Katharina P?tter, Mayor of Osnabrück, and Alexander Schmemann, President of OUA, all highlighted, over the past 40 years, the educational cooperation between Anhui and Germany has developed from a single exchange to an all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging cooperation. They noted, the 40-year cooperation between HFU and OUA has verified the development law of “university-university cooperation and university-enterprise collaboration” in applied higher education. They looked forward to taking this symposium as an opportunity to further expand the cooperation areas.
During the conference sessions, experts discussed such hot issues as curriculum design for applied higher education and the theory and practice of the dual system, sharing the specific practices of various universities in China and Germany. The symposium also attracted representatives from well-known enterprises like the Volkswagen Group.
In his concluding speech, Ren Yong emphasized that the successful symposium not only marked a new chapter in the 40-year cooperation between the two universities, but also built a new bridge for exchange between applied universities in China and Germany. He also stated that HFU would seize this opportunity to deepen cooperation with German universities, learn from the “dual-system” education, enhance the quality of applied talent cultivation, and contribute more to the economic and social development of both countries.
In addition, before visiting Germany, Ren Yong led a delegation to the Netherlands to participate in the “Sino-Dutch Symposium on Innovation in Applied Higher Education”. There, he delivered a keynote speech on “Industry-Education Integration and International Talent Cultivation”, sharing HFU’s experiences in applied education. He also held talks with Saxion University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, reaching preliminary agreements on cooperation and further expanding HFU’s international cooperation network in Europe.
