On October 21, a delegation from the University of Manchester visited School of Life Sciences to explore international collaboration. The visit culminated in a consensus on various initiatives, including student exchanges, summer schools, innovative talent platform, and joint research, setting the stage for a five-year collaborative effort.
The agreement, effective from 2023, facilitates an undergraduate exchange program. It allows third-year undergraduates from Tsinghua’s School of Life Sciences to study at Manchester, and vice versa, with mutual tuition fee waivers and credit recognition. Manchester assured the smooth operation of the program by streamlining the application process and providing academic support.
Manchester’s Faculty of Life Sciences expressed interest in collaborating on the Innovative Talent Platform, aiming to deepen cooperation in fields like synthetic biology. The university offers three summer school programs, each lasting three weeks, focusing on practical skills. Both institutions proposed integrating these courses with laboratory research, creating a hybrid model of “three weeks of classes followed by several months of research,” tailored for Tsinghua’s elite students.
Despite challenges, the dual-degree doctoral program between Manchester and Tsinghua has made progress. To overcome mentor recruitment quota limitations, both universities agreed to allocate resources at the institutional level to boost mentor involvement.
The universities also plan to expand collaboration into fields like immunology and neuroscience. With funding from the China Scholarship Council and joint research projects, they aim to facilitate two-way movement of students and scholars. Manchester’s president, during his visit to China in February, suggested increasing the number of applicants to elevate the annual exchange volume beyond the current range of 5-9 individuals.
Looking forward, Tsinghua and Manchester will reinforce their partnership through academic conferences, summer schools, and mentorship events, fueling global talent development and scientific innovation.
