On the afternoon of September 26th, a five-people delegation from Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) visited Beihang University. Among the delegation were Bertrand Raquet, Director of INSA Toulouse, Frédéric Fotiadu, Director of INSA Lyon, Damien Fabrègue, Deputy Director of INSA Lyon, and others. Beihang Secretary of Party Committee Zhao Changlu and President Wang Yunpeng met with the visitors. Also present were Beihang Vice President Huang Haijun, Executive Vice Dean of Graduate School Zhao Weisheng, as well as officials from the International Cooperation Office, Academic Affairs Office, Zhongfa Aviation Institute of Beihang University (ZFAI), and other relevant departments.
Zhao Changlu warmly welcomed the visitors, mentioning that China and France are comprehensive strategic cooperative partners. The two countries have conducted effective cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology, economy, and trade. Beihang University and INSA Group are important educational cooperation partners, and the two universities have a long history of cooperation, achieving substantial results in talent cultivation, scientific research collaboration, and other areas. With highly compatible discipline setting and educational concepts, Beihang and INSA have a solid foundation for collaboration and possess enormous potential for future cooperation. It is expected that the two universities will work together to promote cooperation in various fields such as education, science and technology, and economy through educational collaboration, contributing to globalization and the development of human society.
Wang Yunpeng stated that Beihang University and INSA have had multiple practical exchanges this year aimed at expanding intercollegiate partnership. Next year, China and France will celebrate the 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations, creating an excellent opportunity for educational cooperation between the two sides. He hopes that based on the existing foundation of cooperation, both parties can fully expand and deepen the scope of collaboration, establish a comprehensive strategic partnership in all areas, promote the innovation of mechanisms and models for training outstanding international engineers, bridge the humanistic exchange between China and France, and provide practical solutions to common problems faced by human society.
Raquet expressed gratitude for the warm welcome by Beihang University and introduced the overall situation and recent development of INSA Group. He stated that INSA and Beihang are both young and outstanding universities, sharing similar standpoints in talent cultivation, social services, and global governance, and especially, the two sides have achieved numerous agreements in the field of engineering education, all of which can greatly contribute to further cooperation between the two universities. It is expected that both sides can lead comprehensive collaboration in all aspects through educational cooperation, jointly addressing global challenges, promoting technological and social progress, and creating a broader platform for Sino-France scientific and educational exchanges.
Huang Haijun introduced the latest developments of Beihang University and reviewed the main progress of cooperation between the two sides. Both universities have engaged in in-depth discussions on enhancing the international outstanding engineer training and have reached consensus.
After the meeting, Wang Yunpeng and Raquet signed the “Intentional Cooperation Agreement between Beihang University and INSA Group”, laying a solid foundation for further sustainable cooperation in areas such as student exchanges, joint education, scientific and technological cooperation, and more.
Institut National des Sciences Appliquées is the largest engineer training group in France, and the engineers it cultivates each year account for 10% of the total number of engineers trained in France, making it pivotal in terms of cultivation of elite engineers.The INSA group includes 7 INSAs in France (Centre Val de Loire, Hauts de France, Lyon, Rennes, Rouen, Strasbourg, and Toulouse). Adhering to a high standard and elite-oriented education model, the group is committed to training a large number of socially responsible and highly qualified engineers for the world, making contributions to sustainable social development. This visit marks the fourth mutual visit between the two sides this year.
Written by: Cao Qizheng, Fan Hang
Photos by: Song Chao
Reviewed by: Weng Jingnong
Edited by: Jia Aiping
Translated by: Lu Meili