The Ningbo government signed an agreement with Dalian University of Technology (DUT), a national key university, in Ningbo, Zhejiang province on Sept 18 to jointly build a Sino-German joint university in the near future.

The agreement stated that DUT will help establish an independent Sino-foreign university in Ningbo through cooperation with RWTH Aachen University or any other member of TU9, an alliance of leading universities of technology in Germany.

The new university will be a high-quality international institute dedicated to scientific and technological research and the cultivation of talented professionals. Plans for the building of research teams, laboratories and a Sino-German graduate school are included in the agreement.

Zheng Shanjie, acting governor of Zhejiang, spoke highly of the progress that has been made since Ningbo and DUT began cooperating in 2018, during a meeting with Guo Dongming, president of the national key university, in Hangzhou on Sept 17.

He expressed hope that their relationship will help with scientific and technological development as well as talent cultivation in Ningbo and Zhejiang.

The new institute is a reflection of the deepening ties between Ningbo and DUT, said Qiu Dongyao, mayor of Ningbo, at the signing ceremony.

He said the city will set up a special team to further discuss details regarding the project.