The Third Session of Zhejiang University “Guiding Horizon” International Faculty Salon Series was Successfully Held
On the afternoon of April 10, the third session of the Guiding Horizon International Salon Series was successfully held on the first floor of the Chinese-Western Bookstore at Zijingang Campus. Centered on the theme of ZJU’s international collaboration strategies, global academic engagement, and international communication, the event attracted international faculty members representing over 10 countries.
Deputy Director of the HR Department, GAO Jie, emphasized in the opening speech that as a leading university in the internationalization of Chinese higher education, ZJU has consistently upheld international cooperation as a strategic development priority. She highlighted the crucial role played by the international faculty in advancing ZJU’s global development initiatives.
TIAN Minjie, Senior Manager of the Division of Global Communications (Office of Global Engagement, Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan Affairs), provided an overview of ZJU’s global communication platforms. In her detailed presentation, she shared insights on the ZJU English website, ZJU social media promotion strategies, and publishing successful showcase for international faculty and teams. Her talk offered valuable guidance on how international faculty can leverage ZJU’s communication platforms to showcase their research progress and innovations to the global academic community.
SHEN Wei, Qiushi Chair Professor at the School of Public Affairs, delivered a talk on strategies for advancing overseas academic collaboration, drawing from his own experiences. He delivered an insightful overview of China-Europe academic and research collaborations, covering initiatives such as the European Research Council. Professor SHEN also provided an overview of identifying areas of potential cooperation, as well as strategies for cross-cultural trust-building in researcher exchanges, training networks, and securing funding.
Aaron Trent Irving, Assistant Professor at the Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, discussed strategies for international research and funding collaborations, examining national and global approaches. Drawing from personal experience, he highlighted adapting strategies to diverse cultural contexts, systematic funding application methods, and aligning proposals with institutional and global priorities. Professor Aaron advised participants to proactively seek opportunities, tailor outreach to cultural norms, and rigorously evaluate partners against predefined criteria. His insights stressed the importance of both collaborative frameworks and personal agency in driving successful international partnerships.
During the interactive Q&A session, participants actively engaged with the speakers. Qiushi Chair Professor SHEN Wei and Professor Aaron Trent Irving provided detailed responses to questions regarding international collaboration strategies and the key differences between local and global academic partnerships. Additionally, participants inquired about how to utilize ZJU’s communication platforms to promote their research. In response, Mrs. TIAN stated that her office welcomes all international faculty to compile and submit their research stories to publish via ZJU online. Following the session, attendees shared overwhelmingly positive feedback, describing the event as highly informative and an invaluable platform for international faculty, offering practical and relevant insights.
