ULiège honoured by the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences during the Belgian economic mission in China

The University of Liège, which accompanies the Princely Mission in China, was honoured on the occasion of the 40^th anniversary of the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GSCAAS) in Beijing. As the first foreign institution to sign a partnership agreement with GSCAAS, ULiège was highlighted for the excellence of its collaboration in the training of Chinese doctoral students.

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t was on the occasion of the ceremony celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, that ULiège was honoured not only for the excellent collaboration between the two institutions but also to recall that ULiège was the first foreign institution to sign a partnership agreement concerning the training of Chinese doctoral students. Signed in 2013, this partnership allowed the graduation of 30 Chinese students and now counts about a hundred students who are doing a "sandwich" type doctoral thesis (possibility of a doctoral stay in an institution other than the one in which the student is enrolled) of 4 years including a stay of at least one year in Belgium (Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, School of Engineering and Veterinary Medicine faculties). While other European, American and Australian universities (Wageningen, Dublin, North-Carolina, New-England, Murdoch,...) have also become partners of GSCAAS, they nevertheless follow the model initiated by the University of Liège. On the teaching side, more than 30 professors from ULiège and 100 Chinese professors are involved in the doctoral platform, which is coordinated by Pr  Frédéric Francis. In 6 years of partnership, more than 238 scientific publications have been published in renowned scientific journals.

For Pr Eric Haubruge, Advisor in charge of regional development, innovation and international relations for the Rector, present in China : "The Academies in China are the institutions of excellence in research. Being associated with them offers many opportunities for future scientific collaboration. When we signed the first agreement with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2011, I didn't think that the collaboration would be so productive and so humanly rich after only a few years. We must expand this type of collaboration and ensure that our researchers also have the opportunity to stay in China and work in the most reputable laboratories. It is also important to develop, with our Chinese colleagues, an "entrepreneurial and innovative spirit" among future doctors to develop starsups, in collaboration with ULiège or other European organizations. The globalisation of research can further stimulate innovation and be beneficial for all in terms of creating both human and economic value".