On March 7th, a delegation led by Professor Lee Lapthorne, Head of College for Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles at Birmingham City University, UK, and including Dr. Miranda Wells, Associate Professor Academic, School of Jewellery, and two other colleagues, visited WTU. Vice President Fu Xin welcomed the British delegation, accompanied by representatives from the IO and BIFCA.
Vice President Fu Xin briefed the British guests on the significant achievements WTU has made in recent years across education, scientific research, and international exchanges and cooperation. He highlighted that under the leadership of President Xu Weilin, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, our university is accelerating its progress towards high-quality development. Especially, the successful establishment of the first-level doctoral program in "Design" provides a broader platform for deepening collaboration between the two universities. Fu Xin expressed his hope that both sides would further implement the consensus during the 2024 presidential meeting, actively explore new cooperative programs and exchange initiatives, and promote in-depth cooperation in areas such as high-level talent cultivation, faculty and student exchanges, and joint research in product design and fashion disciplines. He also emphasized the importance of jointly exploring innovative models for international talent development at the intersection of jewelry design and textile technology.
Professor Lapthorne expressed sincere gratitude for the warm reception and outlined the purpose and significance of his visit. He noted that the two universities have enjoyed over a decade of successful collaborative education, producing numerous high-level teaching and creative outcomes that exemplify the fruitful exchanges and mutual learning between the two institutions. Birmingham City University's School of Jewellery, being the largest in the UK and Europe, is renowned as a world-class institution in the field of jewelry. Lapthorne hoped that this visit to Wuhan would facilitate new cooperative projects and strengthen the friendship between the two universities through mutually beneficial and win-win collaborations.
Following the meeting, representatives from both universities held a working discussion at the Birmingham Institute of Fashion and Creative Arts. They conducted in-depth discussions on the details of proposed projects, including training plans, course designs, and shared faculty resources, reaching a consensus on key points. Both sides agreed to efficiently and pragmatically follow up on subsequent communications to ensure the timely implementation of these new initiatives.
During their visit, the delegation toured the Textile Science and Technology Museum, the studio of the Birmingham Institute of Fashion and Creative Arts, and the Yingshan Twined Flower Workshop at the School of Fashion. They expressed admiration for the WTU's significant achievements in textile technology innovation and the preservation and promotion of Chinese cultural heritage.
