Build a "Belt and Road" education and scientific research community

Zhejiang University strengthens cooperation with universities and scientific research institutions in countries along the "Belt and Road"——

Build a "Belt and Road" education and scientific research community

Reporter Jiang Yifeng and correspondent Fang Neng and Ke Yineng

■ Jointly building the "Belt and Road" and education in action

In the desert of Oman's Yibeli on the Arabian Peninsula, the desert is as sandy as snow. As far as the eye can see, the bifacial photovoltaic modules are magnificent and neat, and the angle can be automatically adjusted according to the direction of the sun, meeting the annual electricity consumption of 33,000 local households.

In August this year, teachers and students from the School of Electrical Engineering of Zhejiang University came here to experience the Chinese wisdom of the energy "oasis" up close, and once again left a footprint of Zhejiang University around the theme of "Belt and Road" new energy construction.

In the past 10 years, Zhejiang University has focused on the aggregation effect of education science and technology talents, strengthened cooperation with universities and scientific research institutions in countries along the "Belt and Road", and strived to build a "Belt and Road" education and technology community. 10 years of hard work, fruitful.

Nesting and attracting phoenixes, talents "far-reaching"

This summer, Zhejiang University sent more than 10 practice groups like the School of Electrical Engineering to countries along the "Belt and Road" to carry out overseas social practice.

Since 2018, Zhejiang University has implemented the "Zhiyuan" overseas social practice action plan for graduate students, visiting 15 countries along the "Belt and Road" to serve local construction and development.

Zhu Qi, a 2022 master's student of the School of Pharmacy who had just returned from practice in Indonesia, immediately rushed into the laboratory to carry out research on "Indonesian medicinal plants". He said: "The one-month summer practice of the 'Zhiyuan' program allows us to give full play to the professional knowledge and technology we have learned, discover the new medicinal value of Indonesian traditional plants, and provide a reference for further cooperation between China and India in medicinal plants in the future." ”

In Yiwu, an important node city of the "Belt and Road", the "Belt and Road" International Medical College of Zhejiang University named after the "Belt and Road" is emerging.

Every Wednesday evening, Ali, a 2022 doctoral student from Pakistan, will follow his supervisor to participate in the research group meeting. During the discussion, researchers and clinicians exchanged views and bright spots appeared. He found an interesting oncology topic here and began experiments, "I like the research environment here, clinical and scientific research are fully integrated, everyone fully communicates and keeps up with the frontier, and I have found the direction of the future."

The school also led the establishment of the "Belt and Road" International Alliance for Engineering Education, taking the cultivation of engineering science and technology talents in countries along the "Belt and Road" as the starting point, building a global engineering education community, and promoting China's engineering technology and engineering standards to "go global". In addition to the teaching of scientific knowledge, Zhejiang University also introduces the Chinese modernization path to international students, showing them a comprehensive, three-dimensional and real picture of China.

According to statistics, in 2022 alone, more than 2,600 students from countries along the "Belt and Road" will go to Zhejiang University to pursue degrees, and the school has set up a number of talent training programs such as clinical medicine and oceanography to promote the connection of credential certification standards, train various professional talents for countries along the "Belt and Road", and strive to build an education base for international students with greater influence.

Research takes root and technology is shared

The number of berthing vessels, container throughput, and indicators depict the changing trend of international shipping. This data system is creatively used to measure the level of development of international shipping and trade markets, and is known as the "Maritime Silk Road Index".

The index was jointly compiled by the Regional Coordinated Development Research Center of Zhejiang University and Ningbo Shipping Exchange, and was included in the list of achievements of the first "Belt and Road" Forum for International Cooperation in 2017, and the index interpretation report was released on the "Belt and Road" official website every month.

"Strategic vision, feelings of home and country, expertise in skills, accumulation, in-depth research, and listening to the voices of the people are the requirements of Zhejiang University to carry out the research of the 'Belt and Road'." Professor Zhou Guping, chief expert of the Regional Coordinated Development Research Center of Zhejiang University, said.

Pounce down and study carefully. Zhejiang University scholars went to more than 20 countries along the "Belt and Road" including Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, and South Africa to visit the construction sites of China's emerging industrial parks and large-scale facilities in the local areas. In interviews with local government officials, community people, and industrial park leaders, practical problems were identified and research directions were anchored.

"Sharing" is another academic attitude. Zhejiang University took the lead in compiling the first authoritative "Belt and Road" construction knowledge popularization book "Belt and Road" Reader" and "100 Questions about the Belt and Road" in China, exporting copyrights in more than 10 languages including Turkish, Arabic and Bengali, analyzing the far-reaching impact of the "Belt and Road" initiative on the future development of China and the world from macro and micro perspectives, and interpreting relevant policies to a wider audience.

Zhejiang University is also actively building a science and technology sharing platform. Relying on the multidisciplinary advantages of liberal arts, science, industry, agriculture and medicine, sharing scientific and technological innovation achievements with countries and regions along the "Belt and Road", strengthening the joint construction of joint research centers, and creating scientific research platforms such as "China-Indonesia Marine Science and Technology Center" and "Zhejiang-Malaysia Joint Research Center for Traditional Medicines".

Cultural bridges and mutual learning among civilizations

In 2015, Nepal, a country along the Belt and Road, was hit by a strong earthquake, which severely damaged a large number of precious cultural relics and monuments. The mainland's first large-scale cultural relics aid project, the nine-story temple restoration project in Kathmandu Durbar Square, was launched.

Li Zhirong, a professor at the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Zhejiang University, led a team to digitize cultural relics to Kathmandu twice to digitally record and reproduce the restoration process of the nine-story temple, especially the traditional craftsmanship of Nepalese tile wood architecture. "The achievements of digital technology archaeology of Zhejiang University are a contemporary continuation of the thousand-year-old Silk Road cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Nepal." Li Zhirong said.

Civilizations communicate through diversity, learn from each other through exchanges, and develop through mutual learning.

At Zhejiang University, a team cooperated with the Central Radio and Television Station to shoot the documentary "I Go to the Silk Road", starting from the three themes of Chinese life, economic and trade cooperation and mutual learning between civilizations, telling the story of the cooperation and development of Chinese and local people on the Silk Road. Previously, the team also went to Uganda, Tanzania and other places to shoot documentaries such as "China-Africa Love after the 90s", "I Go to Africa" and "Re-walk the Tanzania-Zambia Railway", using documentaries as a medium to build a bridge of communication.

The beauty of each is the same. The relevant person in charge of Zhejiang University said that the university will continue to take education science and technology talents as the starting point, build a multilateral cooperation mechanism, and write a new chapter in the "Belt and Road" era of mutual benefit and win-win, mutual knowledge and mutual learning.

Source: China Education Daily