From December 9 to 12, Tan Tianwei, President of BUCT and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, visited the University of Patras (Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών) and Technical University of Crete (Πολυτεχνείο Κρήτης) in Greece. During the visit, he had in-depth discussions with heads of the two universities on topics including joint student training, teacher exchange visits, and research cooperation. Liu Guangqing, Executive Director of the Belt and Road Global Cooperation Research Institute of BUCT, accompanied President Tan on the visit.
On December 9, the signing ceremony for the joint establishment of a Confucius Institute by BUCT and University of Patras was held at the rector’s building in University of Patras. Wang Guangyan, member and Deputy Minister of the Party Group of the Ministry of Education, Fokion Zaimis, Deputy Governor of the Region of Western Greece (RWG), and Deputy Governor Panagiotis Papadopoulos were in attendance. Tan Tianwei and Christos Bouras, the Rector of the University of Patras, signed the agreement on behalf of the two universities. The ceremony was presided over by Dionisios Manchevinos, Vice Rector of the University of Patras.
Christos Bouras expressed that the establishment of the Confucius Institute will mark an important milestone for deeper cooperation, and that the University of Patras is ready to provide infrastructural and intellectual support for the construction of the Confucius Institute. Fokion Zaimis, on behalf of the Region of Western Greece, congratulated the two universities on the signing of the agreement. He pointed out that the local people have a strong interest in learning Mandarin and Chinese culture. He also hopes that the establishment of the Confucius Institute can provide a learning platform for the local people and promote Sino-Greek cooperation in industrial development, trade and economy.
Tan Tianwei, on behalf of BUCT, sincerely thanked the Ministry of Education and the RWG Government for their strong support in establishing the Confucius Institute. He said that China and Greece are ancient civilizations with a long history of friendship, which lays a solid foundation for further exchange and mutual learning as well as strengthened cooperation in the future. Since the establishment of a cooperative relationship in 2018, BUCT has engaged in extensive cooperation with the University of Patras in various areas, such as joint student training, teacher exchange programs, joint application for research projects, and joint publication of articles. Till now, substantial achievements have been secured, including getting the approval of a key research project for international scientific cooperation between Chinese and Greek governments, as well as being selected by the Ministry of Science and Technology to establish the Chinese-Greek Joint Research Lab for Bioenergy. The two universities also co-hosted the 8th International Conference on Biorefinery and Biomanufacturing in Athens. Tan emphasized in his speech that BUCT will play an active part in the co-construction of the Confucius Institute along with the University of Patras, and will take this as an opportunity to enhance cooperation and strengthen support for Sino-Greek cultural exchanges as well as educational and technological collaboration.
At the ceremony, Tan Tianwei, on behalf of BUCT, presented the University of Patras with a calligraphy piece titled "Sino-Greek Cooperation with a Long History and a Bright Future", which embodies expectations for more joint efforts in promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries, and sincere wishes for a lasting friendship between the Chinese and Greek people.
During the visit, the BUCT delegation toured the University of Patras and the Technical University of Crete around their campus facilities and research institutions. They were especially informed on the current construction and development of the "Chinese-Greek Joint Research Lab for Bioenergy", which was co-established by BUCT and a few European universities including the University of Patras under the Ministry of Science and Technology of China. The delegation then had in-depth discussions with the heads and professors of related colleges in both universities, including colleges of chemical engineering, materials engineering, biological engineering, and environmental engineering. Together, they discussed on topics such as joint application for international research cooperation projects between Chinese, Greek and other European governments, joint student training and dual degree programs, as well as summer camps for students and exchange trips for teachers. They later achieved several intentions of cooperation and formulated implementation plans accordingly.
The visit effectively facilitated the successful signing of a Confucius Institute cooperation agreement between BUCT and the University of Patras, and laid a solid foundation for further cooperation with Greek universities.