The first point of the visit was Peking University, where the delegation met with the University rector, Professor Song Gao. ITMO University has been collaborating with China's leading university for more than two years. The main area of cooperation is preparation Chinese students for programming competitions: training sessions are held regularly by teachers of the Information Technology and Programming Faculty in China and St. Petersburg. ITMO University has created an online system for students of Peking University for complex tasks solving. Those who showed the best results have received certificates for free short-term training at ITMO University. Collaboration effectiveness was proved by results: in 2014, Peking University team won the third place in the ACM ICPC championship for sports programming. Both universities are ready to continue working in this direction: for example, during a meeting with the rector of the Peking University, the possibility of joint creation of an international center for programmers training was discussed. According to Vladimir Vasiliev, the ITMO University rector, this initiative will contribute to strengthening the Russian universities’ positions in the Chinese education market.
The delegation also visited the Changchun University of Science and Technology and its rector, Professor Yu Huadong. Petersburg guests handed to Professor Yu Huadong official documents showing his award of the ITMO University honorary doctorate. Partners discussed issues related to implementation of master degree programs in the field of information and optical technologies, and the cooperation expansion. It is planned to create some "mirror" scientific laboratories in China and St. Petersburg and joint undergraduate programs in English.
"ITMO University now has no undergraduate programs in English, but we need to work on this initiative implementation. This will undoubtedly strengthen the University’s position in the international education market and increase its competitiveness," Daria Kozlova, the Institute for International Development and Partnership director, said.
At the end of a trip, ITMO University representatives visited Tszintszele, the largest Chinese company for students recruit and its president Zhang Weiyi. Last year, the company sent more than 60 thousand Chinese students to different countries, including more than a thousand students to Russia. In total, the company has 48 branches in major China's cities and about 3 500 employees.
"The relations development with the Tszintszele company is extremely important for our university. This is our first experience with Chinese recruiting agencies, which is commercial. We hope that the colleagues' advice, based on their experience, will help us to increase the number of foreign students in the university and to raise awareness of the ITMO University in China," Irina Kim, the director of the Center for Asian Cooperation, summed up.