Sino-Dutch Forum on cooperation in higher education
The Chinese higher education sector is looking to cooperate more closely with Dutch higher education institutions. A large delegation of Chinese higher education institutions and government agencies visited the Netherlands on 25 June for a Sino-Dutch Higher Education Forum.
The Chinese delegation aimed to gain new insights into improving the alignment between higher education and the labour market.
With 32 institutions and 84 representatives this was the largest Chinese higher education delegation ever to visit the Netherlands. The Sino-Dutch Higher Education Forum focused on Dutch universities of applied sciences, but Dutch research universities also actively participated.
Balancing the academic mobility
The CEAIE and Nuffic signed a joint declaration to acknowledge the importance of a more balanced academic mobility between China and the Netherlands. More and more Chinese universities offer international programmes that aim to attract foreign students, including Dutch students. The Chinese Ministry of Education supports this development by providing an increased number of scholarships for foreign students.
Both the CEAIE and Nuffic will support and facilitate efforts to increase the number of Dutch students to study in China by exchanging and disseminating relevant information, and promoting Study in China through their regular communication channels. The aim is to increase the understanding of China within the Dutch academic community and vice versa, which will ultimately expand and strengthen Sino-Dutch relations.
Joint Nuffic-CEAIE organisation
The meeting, which took place at the RDM Campus in Rotterdam, was organised by Nuffic and the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), in close cooperation with the HBO-raad (the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences). CEAIE is Nuffic’s partner organisation in China.
The Forum was chaired by Hanneke Teekens, Director at Nuffic, and Yang Meng, Deputy Secretary-General of the CEAIE.
Key note speakers were Chinese ambassador Zhang Jun, CEAIE Secretary-General Jiang Bo, Thom de Graaf, Chairman of the Dutch Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and Babs van den Berg, Director Research & Science Policy at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
Furthermore, there were high-level speakers and participants of Chinese and Dutch higher education institutions. At the event Chinese and Dutch higher education institutions also had a chance to do some matchmaking, to strengthen institutional cooperation.