On June 28, 2023, the signing ceremony of the Comprehensive Cooperation Framework Agreement between Guangdong University of Foreign Studies（GDUFS） and European University Institute（EUI） was held in the international conference hall of Baiyunshan campus. Shi Youqi, secretary of the Party Committee and president of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Yang Li, dean of the Graduate School, Zhou Peng, director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Zhao Longyue, dean of the School of International Governance Innovation, Renaud Dehousse, president of European University Institute, Regina Grafe, dean of the School of Foreign Relations, Fabrizio Tassinari, executive dean of the School of Transnational Governance, Emma Lees, academic director of the master's program, and Elena Asciutti, director of the international program, attended the signing ceremony. The signing ceremony was presided over by Zhou Peng.
Shi Youqi, secretary of the Party Committee and president of GDUFS, delivered a speech
Shi Youqi, secretary of the Party Committee and president of GDUFS, on behalf of all the teachers and students of GDUFS, extended a warm welcome to Renaud Dehousse, president of European University Institute, who attended this online signing ceremony. He pointed out that GDUFS has attached great importance to the cultivation of international governance talents, with high-quality development as the primary task, internationalization as the fundamental feature, serving national development as the constructive direction, and inter-discipline as the driving force, so as to build a high-level international disciplinary education system with higher quality, more distinctive features, and better services. European University Institute has a magnificent capability in teaching and research, rich teaching experience of transnational governance and advanced and mature setup of disciplines. The signing of the comprehensive cooperation framework agreement between the two schools marks a new breakthrough and innovative development in our school's implementation of the education opening-up strategy and strengthening the cultivation of international governance talents. It is hoped that under the guidance of the new strategic partnership of consultation, co-construction, sharing, and win-win, the two schools can gather consensus and deepen cooperation, to provide intellectual and talent support for establishing closer Sino-European relations, to lay a more solid foundation for cooperation in cultivating international governance talents, jointly creating a new situation of comprehensive education cooperation and exchange, and opening a new chapter in the comprehensive development of international education cooperation.
Renaud Dehousse, President of European University Institute, made a speech
Renaud Dehousse, President of European University Institute, thanked Secretary and President Shi Youqi for attending the signing ceremony. He pointed out that the seeds of cooperation between the two universities had been sown since many years ago. The signing of this comprehensive cooperation framework agreement shows that the cooperation between the two universities has been taken a step further. The two schools not only have their own characteristics but also share some similarities in talent cultivation, thus making the prospects for comprehensive cooperation between the two schools bright. The European University Institute has a high reputation in training young researchers and research in transnational issues and other fields, focusing on training high-end talents proficient in public affairs, and the School of Transnational Governance is the main unit carrying out this task. He emphasized that many of the current development problems were cross-border, so cooperation was more than important, and higher education institutions should establish good cooperative partnerships. This cooperation with GDUFS will not only enable EUI to recruit a stable source of high-quality Chinese students, but also help strengthen the cultural exchange and co-construction between China and Europe. This signing represents a new beginning for the long-term cooperation between the two schools in the future, which also bears a new witness to the establishment of long-term friendship between the two sides.
Shi Youqi, secretary of the Party Committee and president of our university, and Renaud Dehousse, president of European University Institute, signed the Comprehensive Cooperation Framework Agreement between Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and European University Institute on behalf of both sides. Yang Li, Zhou Peng, Zhao Longyue, Regina Grafe, Elena Asciutti and other leaders jointly witnessed the signing of the agreement.
The signing ceremony was attended by department leaders including Guo Jia, the head of Student Affairs Division of our school; Su Dongyan, the secretary of the Party Committee of School of English for International Business; Wang Xiumin, the secretary of the Party Committee of Faculty of European Languages and Cultures; Kang Weimao, the director of Student Career and Entrepreneurship Center, and the teachers and students of the School of International Governance Innovation.
