Chinese Mainland collaborations accelerate: Lingnan signs MoUs with three universities, focusing on AI, innovation and entrepreneurship
Lingnan University and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China sign an MoU. From left: Prof Hu Jun, President of UESTC, and Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University.
Lingnan University signs an institutional MoU with the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA). First row, from left: President S. Joe Qin and President Jiang Bin.
Lingnan University signs an institutional MoU with Qingdao University. First row, from left: Prof Xin Yao and Prof Xiao Jiangnan.
Prof Xin Yao (left) and Ms Chen Ping (right) exchange mementos.
The Qingdao University delegation tours the UNU Hub at Lingnan University.
The delegation of Hangzhou Science and Technology Bureau visits the LU Jockey Club Gerontech-X Lab.
Lingnan University has recently signed MoUs with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), and Qingdao University, and also welcomed a delegation from the Hangzhou Science and Technology Bureau. The discussions focused on postgraduate recruitment, scientific research and innovation, talent development, and entrepreneurship, resulting in a number of key preliminary agreements.
From 24 to 25 September, Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, attended Digital Universities Asia 2026, co-hosted by UESTC and the Times Higher Education (THE). During the event, he met with Prof Hu Jun, President of UESTC, and held a discussion. Prof Hu outlined UESTC’s latest developments and strategic development in artificial intelligence (AI). President Qin then described Lingnan’s achievements in digital liberal arts education, and its integration of AI into teaching, faculty development, and research. The two presidents then signed an institutional MoU to strengthen collaboration in AI, student exchange, innovation and entrepreneurial exchange, and joint research.
On the morning of 23 September, a delegation led by Prof Jiang Bin, President of NUAA, visited Lingnan and was warmly received by President Qin and university representatives. They signed an institutional MoU, establishing a framework for faculty and student exchanges, joint research, and postgraduate training, and held in-depth discussions on joint degree programmes, summer schemes, AI-driven aerospace technology, and interdisciplinary research. Both institutions spoke of their shared vision to foster mutual learning in the young, and cultivate innovative talent equipped with both technical expertise and humanistic values. The delegation toured the LU Jockey Club Gerontech-X Lab and the UNU Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University (UNU Hub at Lingnan).
On the afternoon of 21 September, a delegation led by Prof Xiao Jiangnan, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Qingdao University Committee, was received by Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning, with Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence, and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Building on the institutional MoU signed in May this year, both sides formally executed an MoU on postgraduate progression to ensure swift, tangible implementation. The delegation also visited the UNU Hub at Lingnan.
On the morning of 22 September, a delegation headed by Mr Hu Biao, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director‑General of Hangzhou Science and Technology Bureau, visited Lingnan and was met by Prof Xin Yao, who referred to the strong synergy between Lingnan and Hangzhou in the digital economy, and innovation and entrepreneurship, and expressed enthusiasm for further cooperation in AI education, integration of industry and education, and youth enterprise. Ms Chen Ping, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Hangzhou Municipal Education Working Committee and Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of Hangzhou Municipal Education Bureau, talked about Hangzhou’s push for AI education as it strives to become China's leading city for AI innovation. Mr Hu added that Hangzhou now ranks 13th in the Global Innovation Index, with about 700 AI enterprises, and strong incentives for young talent. The two parties discussed potential collaboration in undergraduate-to-postgraduate articulation programmes with Hangzhou municipal universities, and connecting the innovation and entrepreneurship platform “LU Xcelerator (LUX)” to Hangzhou’s abundant resources in the AI sector and its innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The delegation ended their visit with a tour of the LU Jockey Club Gerontech-X Lab, experiencing firsthand the unique atmosphere of Lingnan’s liberal arts education.
In future, Lingnan will continue to serve as a bridge for higher education exchanges between the Hong Kong SAR and the Chinese Mainland, expanding its institutional collaborative network to advance high-quality innovation in liberal arts education for the digital age.