Working together to innovate, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China officially joins the Microsoft Imagine Academy Program Membership

04 January 2023


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The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) officially became a member of the Microsoft Imagine Academy Program on 16 December 2022. UNNC and Microsoft China will collaborate on teaching innovation, digital transformation and data analytics through Microsoft’s training and certification to support the University's teaching and research projects.

The two parties will work jointly to create a teaching and curriculum system that will assist teachers, students and eco-partners in improving their digital capabilities, fostering the development of innovative talents in the context of digital transformation.

Mr Thomas Murphy, Chief Financial and Planning Officer at UNNC, and Dr K. Cohen Tan, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning at UNNC, believe the use of digital technology to help transform and upgrade higher education and continuously improve its quality has become an important trend. This cooperation with Microsoft is in line with UNNC's vision of building a "digital borderless university". Embracing the newest digital technology and data analytics through the Microsoft Imagine Academy Program is essential to better prepare students with interdisciplinary skills for the future.

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According to Professor Martin Liu, Interim Dean of Nottingham University Business School China (NUBS China), and Professor Hing Kai Chan, Acting Associate Dean of Education and Student Experience at NUBS China, the partnership with Microsoft, focusing on AI and Big Data, strengthens the School’s endeavour in the direction of digitising education and orchestrating the latest digital resources. NUBS China is committed to developing high-quality learning experiences for all students and fostering a more collaborative research environment for academics. The Microsoft Imagine Academy Program sets a strong foundation that brings together our teaching and research activities and builds a solid foundation to engage with our academics, students, industrial partners and beyond. This important platform of collaboration is where imagination becomes reality.

“Ningbo is a fertile ground for business, and Microsoft China has a large number of valuable partners and customers there. We hope that with the landing of the Microsoft Imagine Academy Program at UNNC, we can further serve the development of the local industry, as well as the growth of individuals, teams, enterprises and even the whole region,” explained Ming Zhen, Manager of Microsoft China’s Public Sector Division.

Zhiruo Chen, Manager of Microsoft China’s education industry in the Greater China area, believes that the successful launch of the Microsoft Imagine Academy Program at UNNC would not have been possible without the dedication and leadership of Professor Martin Liu, Interim Dean of NUBS China. It is an important milestone in our cooperation with UNNC and another innovation in the educational field. Through close collaboration with partner institutions, the Microsoft Imagine Academy Program aims to provide an excellent global technology platform for both teachers and students, using cloud computing, artificial intelligence and big data technologies to provide more opportunities for students and to help them succeed in their future career paths.

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UNNC and Microsoft China have a long-standing basis of cooperation. The launch of the Microsoft Imagine Academy Program at UNNC marks a whole new phase in the digital collaboration between the two parties. This time, the collaboration will mainly cover the following areas.

  • Through Microsoft courses, training and certification, combine the University's professional capabilities with Microsoft's digital transformation capabilities to help teachers, students and eco-partners improve their digital capabilities.
  • Conduct hands-on training based on Microsoft Azure LabService and other services to create a flexible cloud-based teaching and learning environment for teachers and students.
  • Provide premium training in computing and data services, based on Microsoft's low-cost, high-performance, more insightful and comprehensive data analytics platform, to support university research projects.

It is time to believe in the power of digitisation and see a new future. Joining the Microsoft Imagine Academy Program is another landmark initiative by UNNC to strengthen its links with top companies. In the future, UNNC and NUBS China will work closely with Microsoft to develop innovative talent training models and build the high-quality talent pipeline needed in the digital age.