On 14 April 2026, Professor Joanne Leal, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Birkbeck, University of London, and her delegation visited Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone in Hainan and attended a working meeting on the undergraduate cooperative programme in Information and Computing Science with Hainan International College, Northeast Forestry University.
The meeting was chaired by Professor Liu Zhiming, Dean of Hainan International College, Northeast Forestry University. Dean Liu extended a warm welcome to the delegation from Birkbeck and introduced the general profile of Hainan International College, the construction progress of its dedicated teaching building and the college’s educational positioning. He pointed out that the undergraduate cooperative programme in Information and Computing Science jointly run by the two institutions was approved by the Ministry of Education in December 2025. As the programme enters a crucial phase for enrollment launch, the college will take this meeting as an opportunity to further consolidate the foundation for cooperation and ensure a high-standard launch and high-quality operation of the programme.
Professor Joanne Leal expressed gratitude for the warm reception and spoke highly of the favourable educational environment and promising development prospects of the Pilot Zone. She stated that Birkbeck values its partnership with Northeast Forestry University and stands ready to deepen collaboration in joint curriculum development, faculty sharing and student exchanges, so as to build a smooth Sino-UK development pathway for students on the programme.
The two sides held in-depth exchanges on core issues including the optimisation of talent training programmes, faculty deployment arrangements and support for student further study. To strengthen students’ recognition of British culture and their motivation to study in the United Kingdom, both parties discussed diverse approaches such as short-term summer study tours, aiming to enhance students’ cross-cultural empathy and adaptability from both academic and experiential perspectives. Both sides agreed to leverage their respective disciplinary strengths to pursue deeper cooperation in joint talent cultivation, reciprocal faculty visits and co-construction of teaching resources. They will strive to develop the programme into a high-quality Sino-foreign cooperative education initiative and contribute to the development of Hainan International Education Innovation Island.
After the meeting, the delegation from Birkbeck, University of London visited the faculty apartments, the construction site of the dedicated teaching building and Li’an Academy within the pilot zone. At Li’an Academy, the guests experienced the integration of profound traditional academy culture and modern educational concepts, and spoke highly of the pilot zone’s educational atmosphere featuring openness, resource sharing and collaborative innovation.
This visit further enhanced mutual trust and understanding between the two universities and laid a solid foundation for the smooth advancement of the cooperative education programme in Information and Computing Science. Leveraging the policy advantages of Hainan Free Trade Port, the College will continue to deepen pragmatic cooperation with world-class universities and contribute to the development of Hainan International Education Innovation Island. (Text & Photos: Xue Yuhang)
