The Cork Institute of Technology participated in one of the most prominent education fairs in China, The China Education Expo (CEE) on October 22nd-30th. This year Ireland was awarded the prestigious role of ‘Country of Honour’ for the event. CEE attracts a substantial number of top international education providers, as well as a significant volume of student visitors. Ms Orla Flynn, Vice President for External Affairs, and Ms Fen Long, International Office, represented CIT at education fairs in Beijing and Shanghai.CIT also signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding with Chinese Higher Education Institutions as a result of recent collaborations, including Hainan University and Chongqing Industry Polytechnic College.Collaborations with Hainan University have developed as a result of an exciting new relationship which has arisen from a research collaboration initiative with senior CIT researcher, Dr Martin Klepal, who is based at Nimbus, CIT (Ireland’s largest research centre devoted to embedded electronic systems and the ‘Internet of Things’). Dr Klepal, just recently returned from Hainan, said “This is a wonderful opportunity for CIT to develop new strategic relationships in China. While working with Professor Chong Shen in Hainan, I was very impressed with the level of technical expertise of his students and I can see great scope for a collaboration that will support the development of international student entrepreneurship and generate new business opportunities.” Hainan University is in the process of extending the research facilities at its science and technology division which is headed by Professor Chong Shen, who worked at the Nimbus Centre at the start of his career.
During the visit, CIT further developed their links with Shanghai University and Xuzhou Institute of Technology, building upon the Memorandum of Understanding which was signed with the Institute in 2012 and 2015. The relationship is strengthened through the twinning arrangements which exist between Shanghai and Cork City Council, and Jiangsu Province with Cork County Council.
CIT’s Crawford College of Art & Design (CCAD) will also continue its strong links with the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts (November 2016) as part of a Creative Europe Project (TNCE) and Tsinghua University Academy of Art and Design.
CIT is also participating in the Claddagh Scholarship Programme of 2016/2017, an initiative of Irish Higher Educations Institutions, which has supported 200 scholarships for Chinese students over the past two years.
