South China Normal University (SCNU) in Guangdong Province, with the support of Nanhai District Government of Foshan City, is seeking a prestigious British university partner to establish a Sino-UK joint institute[1] with high standards of innovation, research and quality, to deliver bachelor’s degree courses.

The proposed subject areas, which relate to the economic development and industry needs of Guangdong Province, include:

• Mechatronic Engineering
• Industrial Design
• Material Forming and Control Engineering
• Information Engineering
• Computer Science and Technology
• Internet of Things Engineering
• New Materials and Devices
• Financial Engineering

The final subjects are to be selected jointly by SCNU and the British partner university within the above subject areas.

About the Sino-UK Joint Institute

1. The joint institute will be located at the Nanhai campus of SCNU. The Nanhai campus is approximately 340,000 square metres in size and is located in the Nanhai Technology Park in Foshan City. Nanhai campus is conveniently located for public transport and provides a pleasant work and living environment.
2. Built infrastructure with floor space of 240,000 square metres, including teaching facilities, teacher and student accommodation, sporting and recreational facilities, have all been completed.
3. The universities will have autonomy to discuss and decide the detailed nature of the partnership, including the partnership model and curriculum mapping and design.
4. Enrollment of students in Guangdong Province can only start once the joint institute has been approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education, which can take up to six months. Guangdong Provincial Education Department will endorse the application of the Joint Institute submitted to the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Support from Nanhai District Government

Nanhai District Government will be responsible for all capital investment relating to the joint institute.

Enrollment and Degree

The Joint Institute aims to have 3,000 students in full-time study by the end of the 4th year of enrolment. Students will be conferred Bachelor’s degrees upon successful completion of four years of study.

Expected input from the UK partner university

• Teaching staff
• Teaching resources
• Syllabus

About SCNU

SCNU was founded in 1933 and is a fast-growing dynamic university with an established reputation for teaching and research. In 1996 it became a member of “Project 211”, a national project aiming to establish 100 well acknowledged key universities and colleges in China. 2015 saw the co-construction of SCNU by Guangdong Provincial Government and the Ministry of Education of China as well as its entry into the Guangdong High-Level University Sponsoring Project. SCNU ranks in the top 60 of over 2,200 universities and colleges in China.                               

SCNU is a comprehensive university offering programs for Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees and Doctoral degrees in 12 disciplines including philosophy, economics, law, education, literature, history, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, management and art. SCNU owns a great number of national and provincial research platforms. Four disciplines including chemistry, plant and animal science, engineering and mathematics feature in the  ESI top 1%.

SCNU has built up a qualified team of over 3,000 faculty and staff and currently has over 24,000 undergraduate students and 9,000 postgraduate students. SCNU has active links with over 150 universities, academics and cultural institutions in 25 countries and regions. It comprises three campuses, namely Shipai Campus and University Town Campus both in Guangzhou and Nanhai Campus in Foshan. For more information, please refer to the attachment.

About Nanhai District of Foshan City

Nanhai district has a population of over two million and belongs to the jurisdiction of Foshan city in Guangdong province. It is located to the south of Guangzhou and connects to the nearby cities of Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau by train. Nanhai has enjoyed rapid economic development and is renowned for its beautiful scenery and technological innovation. It is one of the most prosperous districts in Guangdong with its GDP ranking sixth among all the districts in the province.

For more details: http://www.nanhai.gov.cn/cms/sites/nanhai/english/index.html

Timeline

SNCU plans to confirm the British partner university by end of April 2017.