A senior delegation from Beijing Normal University (BNU), led by its President, Professor Jihong Yu, visited the University of Bath on 21 May, marking a significant step forward in the development of this international collaboration.

During the visit, Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bath, and Professor Jihong Yu signed a Memorandum of Understanding signalling the keen interest by both parties to progress a number of activities, including educational collaboration and joint research.

The discussions with senior members of staff, including the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Professor Manuel Barcia, and the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Professor Deborah Wilson, confirmed the strength of alignment between the two universities and laid a solid foundation for future collaboration. Initial conversations had been held in person the week before when Professor Barcia, Professor Wilson, and several colleagues from HSS and the School of Management visited BNU’s campuses in Zhuhai and Beijing.

Participating colleagues from the University of Bath and BNU reported excellent engagement across institutional and departmental teams - especially in the areas of Education, Sport Sciences and Psychology - with a shared sense of enthusiasm, openness, and long-term ambition.

BNU, one of China’s leading universities, is a comprehensive and research-intensive university with distinctive strengths in the sciences and humanities, teacher education, and educational science. It was the first university in China with the main mission of training teachers and specialists.

With clear strategic alignment, strong academic connections, and a shared vision for the future, the proposed collaborations represent a major opportunity to deepen international engagement and deliver impactful outcomes in education and research for both partners.

Professor Barcia commented on the visit:

This visit has confirmed the strength of alignment between Bath and BNU. We have found not only academic complementarity, but also a genuine shared ambition to create something distinctive and impactful together.

Professor Wilson said:

Both our visit to China and the return visit from BNU colleagues to Bath have helped tremendously to build a strong foundation and a shared understanding to making this partnership a success. The warmth, openness and commitment from colleagues at BNU is fantastic and we are looking forward to working with them.

Following their visit, President Professor Jihong Yu noted:

Our delegation was deeply impressed by the vibrant campus, profound academic expertise and sincere friendship we encountered in Bath. More importantly, we reaffirmed our shared educational aspirations and joint determination to tackle global challenges. We stand ready to collaborate hand in hand, for better education, for a better future.