The British Council China is delighted to invite UK institutions to join our Engineering and Technology Roadshow and Media Campaign 2017, each designed to promote the UK’s educational opportunities on engineering and technology related courses.

Introduction

As China loses its low-end manufacturers to other countries and aspires to move up the value chain, its focus is shifting to fine-tuning the industrial structures within its economy. The Made in China 2025 (MiC2025) initiative is China’s most comprehensive and ambitious industrial plan to date, and is set to play a crucial part in this shift. The goal of the initiative is to transform China into a leading manufacturing power. MiC2025 aims to make use of technologies such as cloud computing and big data as a remedy for ten priority sectors, notably new advanced information technology; automated machine tools & robotics; aerospace and aeronautical equipment; maritime equipment and high-tech shipping; modern rail transport equipment; new-energy vehicles and equipment; power equipment; agricultural equipment and new materials.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, currently industrial professionals with bachelor's and master's degree only account for respectively 29% and 2% of the total population. Upgrading Chinese industry requires more experienced and innovative talent who excel in R&D, innovation and engineering & technological realisation. The government plans to build a platform for overseas returnees with expertise in engineering and technology, so as to contribute to the overall growth in the sector.

The MiC2025 initiative and China’s focus on these priority sectors offers UK HEIs a great opportunity to demonstrate their specialist knowledge and research into these areas and showcase their educational offers for Chinese students looking to study these subjects abroad. The UK is a developed industrial power whose competitive edge could be found in high-tech industry, high-value manufacturing and creative design. UK universities have long enjoyed strong links with industry and have a great variety of courses on offer to meet the practical needs of future engineering and technological professionals.

The Roadshow

Previous faculty-specific roadshows run by British Council China have been a resounding success. Continuing on this momentum, the Engineering and Technology Roadshow 2017 is an ideal opportunity for UK universities to showcase their engineering and technology related degree courses and directly engage with prospective students. We therefore invite UK universities to nominate academics to visit host institutions in China to deliver demonstration classes and interact with students to discuss degree opportunities in the UK.  Where possible, we will also arrange face-to-face meetings with local schools/universities to discuss partnership opportunities in the areas of joint teaching and research.*

The focus of these events is to facilitate interaction and create synergies between visiting universities and host institutions.  Interested universities will be invited to join a conference call with British Council staff to discuss opportunities and desired outcomes, in order to tailor the programme to meet UK universities’ needs where possible.

* Programmes and events may vary slightly between host institutions.

Media Campaign

An advertorial on UK's engineering and technology courses will be released on print and digital media platforms. The advertorial will foreground the UK's engineering and technology courses, featuring academic insights and student experiences, as well as soft promotion of participating UK institutions.

NB. This will not be a dedicated promotion for one institution as all UK institutions participating in the media campaign will be featured.  Participating institutions may be approached by journalists for information to feature in the advertorial.  A discounted fee is applicable for universities also taking part in the Roadshow.

Joining instructions

UK institutions who are interested in these opportunities should complete the application form and send it to Ms Mandy Deng (mandy.deng@britishcouncil.org.cn) as an attachment by

5 June 2017.

For the roadshow, please note that a minimum of two participating institutions at each session are required for the roadshow to be organised, and a maximum of four institutions will be represented per session. The British Council China reserves the right to cancel a certain session of the roadshow if the minimum participation number is not met.

For the media campaign, a minimum of three UK institutions are needed to launch the promotion. The British Council China reserves the right to cancel the media promotion if the minimum number is not met.

Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Requirements

University representatives attending the roadshow are expected to be well prepared in providing an introduction to their institution as well as up-to-date information on the application process and course content.  Depending on the audience profile for each session, event content will be expected to cater to school and/or university students looking for in-depth information on studying engineering and technology in the UK. Participation is limited to two representatives per UK institution.

UK institutions who sign up for the media campaign are encouraged to provide the below contents to give the advertorial a wider perspective:

·        analysis on the subject

·        course introduction

·        quote from academics

·        quote from alumni or current students

·        copyrighted high resolution photos

Participation fee

For the roadshow, the British Council China will charge a participation fee of £350 (exclusive of VAT) per host institution visited, which will cover programme planning, promotion, coordination and comprehensive briefings for the visiting UK universities, as well as logistical support during the sessions. The participation fee does not cover international or domestic travel, accommodation, subsistence or freight.

For the media campaign, the British Council will charge £2, 500 (exclusive of VAT) per institution, which will include:

• One advertorial on 5 key national media outlets with clipping report
• One tweet on British Council’s Education UK Weibo
• One post on British Council’s Education UK WeChat

A discounted fee of £2, 200 (exclusive of VAT) is applicable for UK institutions who are signing up for the roadshow.

Visa

A visa will be necessary for UK passport holders to participate in the roadshow.  The British Council can provide invitation letters to participants who require a visa, but it is the responsibility of the applicant institution to follow the correct procedures.

Further information regarding visas for China can be found on the website of the Chinese Embassy in the UK (http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/visa/).