22 July: The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Westlake University, a nonprofit, research-oriented institution located in Hangzhou, China, to strengthen ties between the two institutions in academic and research cooperation.

The partnership was established in a meeting at UNNC chaired by UNNC Provost Professor Nick Miles with a delegation headed by Professor Yigong Shi, President of Westlake University. The signing of the MOU will see developments in building research and doctoral training partnerships, teaching collaborations as well as exchanges of students and staff in the next five years.

Professor Shi said during the meeting that the two universities share a lot in common, and by joining hands, both can achieve much more. UNNC and Westlake University not only share geographical proximity, as both are located in the Yangtze River Delta, but the distinctiveness of being highly international and research-led. Provost Nick Miles agreed and commented that living in an era full of challenges, a coalition of academics and students could drive us forward and change the world for the better.

After the MOU proceedings, the two parties exchanged gifts, which was followed by a visit to the Faculty of Science and Engineering building and the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Centre.