How Beijing Institute of Technology is fostering collaboration across continents
At Beijing Institute of Technology, partnerships between academia, government and industry are promoted to support development goals across the globe
Beijing Institute of Technology
Collaboration has always been at the heart of higher education, with cutting-edge ideas often emerging from team efforts. Globalisation means that collaboration is just as likely to occur across continents as within classrooms. At Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), this collaboration aims to integrate academic training with real-world impact to support development goals across Africa and Asia.
As an example of BIT’s industry-education cooperation model, in 2018, a group of the university’s international students visited Beijing Automotive Group’s research and development centres. The visit provided exposure to China’s cutting-edge automotive technologies and created networks and employment opportunities between overseas students and Chinese enterprises.
Similarly, in 2024, BIT and China Communications Construction Company jointly agreed to form a Study in BIT Uganda Workstation to promote talent co-cultivation and resource sharing in the African country.
Demonstrating that BIT’s commitment to industry-academia collaboration stretches across the African continent, a delegation of principals and officials from four prestigious Moroccan high schools also recently visited BIT. The visit provided an opportunity for BIT to showcase its rich history, academic strengths and achievements, with discussions focusing on enhancing educational cooperation between BIT and Moroccan institutions.
BIT’s global outlook is exemplified by the university’s work with government officials from Asian countries. In 2023, a delegation from Thailand’s Ministry of Education visited BIT, with both parties emphasising the importance of close cooperation to create more learning opportunities for students from the two countries. In recent years, delegations from the governments of Myanmar, the UAE, Singapore and Malaysia have also visited BIT to explore new paths for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Of course, moulding talented individuals who will thrive in the workplaces of the future depends on collaboration that begins before graduation. As such, collaboration between universities is another important aspect of BIT’s approach to global talent cultivation. In October 2024, a delegation from South Korea’s Hanyang University visited BIT, with talks focusing on the achievements that have emerged from the 11-year exchange and cooperation between the two universities.
Partnerships are being promoted in Central Asia too. Last year, Rustam Karimjonov, minister for the development of ICT in Uzbekistan, and his four-person delegation visited BIT to discuss international talent cultivation. Knowledge sharing around fast-moving fields, such as AI, big data and network security, was mentioned, as was the potential for building a scientific and educational hub in Uzbekistan and furthering the Belt and Road initiative to connect Central Asia and the Middle East.
In Africa, Asia and other parts of the world, development goals remain plentiful and pressing. Fortunately, there is no shortage of talented individuals and revolutionary ideas emanating from these markets. By fostering closer collaboration between universities and enterprises, whether they are based in China or elsewhere, BIT aims to ensure that these individuals and their ideas receive the recognition and support they deserve. Universities, students and wider society will be better for it.