From July 27 to August 2, Vice President CHEN Zhaohui led a BUCEA delegation on a visit to New Zealand and Australia. During the trip, the delegation signed inter-university cooperation agreements with Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) and Queensland University of Technology (Australia), advanced the implementation of a joint master’s degree program with the University of Adelaide (Australia), witnessed the signing of a school-level cooperation agreement with the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), and visited the CSCEC (China State Construction Engineering Corporation) New Zealand branch.

On July 29, CHEN Zhaohui, on behalf of BUCEA, signed a university-level Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation with Logan Bannister, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington.

CHEN Zhaohui noted that the signing of this MoU is of great significance. Both parties expressed their expectation that the agreement will open up new areas of cooperation, such as artificial intelligence and green low-carbon technologies, and will actively advance the implementation of all aspects of the agreement.

On July 31, CHEN Zhaohui signed a Letter of Intent for inter-university cooperation with Yuantong Gu, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Queensland University of Technology, and Ian O’Hara, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

CHEN Zhaohui introduced BUCEA’s profile and highlighted that, the two institutions, both as high-level, engineering-focused universities, shall deepen their cooperation and advance together.

On August 1, the delegation held cooperation discussions with Michael Goodsite, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, and his colleagues. Both parties agreed to take the merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia as an opportunity to continue advancing the joint master’s degree program agreement signed by the two universities in April 2025; promote various forms of joint student programs and academic exchanges in China-foreign cooperative education; and support cross-border internships and practical training for students, with a focus on collaborative research in areas of mutual strength, including urban planning, civil engineering, construction environment, sustainable architecture, and engineering management.

On July 28, CHEN Zhaohui, together with Richard Clarke, Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Auckland, witnessed the exchange of the Letter of Intent for Academic Cooperation between the two universities.

The two universities will collaborate in areas of shared interest, including sustainable urban development and cultural heritage preservation, and have reached consensus on joint training of international master’s and doctoral students, offering joint courses or specialized workshops, conducting research collaborations, and applying research outcomes.

During the visit, the delegation held in-depth discussions with four universities in New Zealand and Australia on higher education cooperation, high-level talent development, faculty exchanges, and joint scientific research.

The delegation liaising with the University of Auckland on cooperative education programs

The delegation conducting cooperation discussions with Victoria University of Wellington

The delegation holding a meeting with Queensland University of Technology

The delegation holding cooperation discussions with the University of Adelaide

BUCEA will leverage its strengths in intelligent construction and engineering management to prioritize deep cooperation with high-level science and technology universities in Australia and New Zealand, aiming to localize and integrate high-quality overseas STEM education resources.

The delegation also visited the campuses of the partner universities and observed exhibitions of outstanding design projects.

On July 28, CHEN Zhaohui and the delegation held talks with the leadership of CSCEC New Zealand to explore cooperation plans in talent development, research innovation, technology transfer and industry collaboration, as well as academic exchanges. CHEN Zhaohui expressed hope that both sides would seize the opportunity of the establishment of the International Platform for Outstanding Engineers in Architecture to jointly implement an Overseas Talent Training and Internship Program with local universities, and explore the creation of an International Engineering Talent Program to provide specialized technical training and academic advancement opportunities for company employees.

On August 1, the delegation held a meeting with Professor ZHUGE Yan, distinguished alumnus and honorary professor of BUCEA, professor at the University of Adelaide, and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. CHEN Zhaohui stated that Professor ZHUGE is a representative of BUCEA’s outstanding alumni and an important international ambassador for the university and expressed the expectation that BUCEA and the University of Adelaide will engage in comprehensive and in-depth cooperation in the future, further expanding joint training programs in fields such as intelligent construction and environmental engineering.