A seven-member delegation from the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom, led by its President Stephen McArthur and joined by Vice-President Ian Rivers, visited the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) on Nov 3.

BIT President Jiang Lan and Vice-President Zou Meishuai welcomed the delegation.

At the meeting with the UK delegation, Jiang reviewed the progress of cooperation between the two universities. He noted that although the two universities have different histories, they share the philosophy of applying learning to serve society and have complementary strengths in discipline development and talent cultivation. Facing global challenges such as artificial intelligence and energy transition, he called for deeper cooperation that advances innovation while upholding humanistic values and social responsibility.

Jiang expressed the hope that the two universities would use the development of a joint school as an opportunity to advance programs in law, international economics and trade, and international business law, deepen faculty visits and joint research, and carry out cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence and society, energy transition, international law, and future education. He also proposed expanding student exchanges, summer programs, short-term visits, and joint projects.

McArthur thanked BIT for its hospitality and introduced the University of Strathclyde. He described it as a comprehensive university with a long history and strong innovative vitality, committed to high-quality teaching and frontier research.

He said the university places great emphasis on students' learning experience and graduates' career development, and works to connect research with the practical needs of industry, government, and society. Agreeing with Jiang on the shared foundations of education, he said the two universities should build on their disciplinary strengths, expand joint cultivation programs for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and support exchanges among young scholars, faculty, and students, as well as summer schools, bringing lasting momentum to bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting, Jiang and McArthur signed a student exchange program agreement on behalf of the two universities.

The delegation also visited BIT's history museum and held an academic exchange with young faculty members.

The University of Strathclyde, a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland, was founded in 1796 and is the first technological university in the UK. It comprises four faculties — engineering, science, humanities and social sciences, and the Strathclyde Business School — and has strong international influence in engineering, energy systems, artificial intelligence, and business. It ranked 230th in the QS World University Rankings 2027.