Representatives of leading UK universities, together with their counterparts from Jiangsu province, China, committed today to the principles of The Jiangsu Declaration in Zhenjiang. The Declaration provides UK universities with increased opportunities for international collaboration and exchange in China. It also supports the Jiangsu provincial government’s aims to propel 15 of its universities into China’s top 100 in the national rankings by 2020, by partnering internationally with leading universities.

Left image: Launch ceremony of the Jiangsu-UK 20+20 World-Class University Consortium © British Council
Right image: Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Leicester, University of Liverpool, University of York, Cranfield University, Nanjing University and Jiangsu University © British Council

The Consortium, established in 2016 and spearheaded by the British Council and Universities UK International (UUKi), has since seen a rapid expansion in the number of UK universities partnering with Chinese universities in Jiangsu. As China’s second largest province by GDP, the provincial government has already committed £40 million in funds to support international partnership agreements. Of these, the Jiangsu-UK 20+20 World-Class University Consortium is by far the most significant grouping, with substantial investments from the local government in professional training for university leaders, as well as exchange programmes for lecturers, researchers and doctoral students.

Speaking of the partnership, Matthew Knowles, Area Director East China, British Council, said: "The Jiangsu Declaration builds on the good work the consortium of universities has achieved to date.  Now with this Declaration, we are signalling our long-term desire to sustain the momentum we have collectively built with our Chinese partners, allowing more UK universities to participate, contribute and ultimately benefit from international collaboration."

About the Jiangsu Declaration

Signed during the Annual General Meeting of the Jiangsu-UK 20+20 World-Class University Consortium in Zhenjiang on 9 April 2019, the declaration builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016.

The Jiangsu Declaration aims to demonstrate the commitment among consortium members to improve the level of international cooperation and expand opportunities for UK universities to work in China. The Declaration will promote the establishment of a community of experts to advance education collaborations in three areas – advanced manufacturing, environment and health care.