Every year, ten students from the University of Milano-Bicocca will study at the Jiao Tong University in Shanghai (SJTU), China, and ten Chinese students will attend classes at the university in Milan. There are plans for scientific and educational activities shared from one end of the world to the other. And a joint laboratory for liver immunology research.
This morning three scientific collaboration agreements were signed by the Department of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Milano-Bicocca and the School of Medicine at the Jiao Tong University of Shanghai, in the presence of the vice-rectors for Internationalization, Gabriella Pasi, Research, Guido Cavaletti, and Education, Maurizio Casiraghi, as well as the Director of the Department of Medicine and Surgery, Maria Grazia Valsecchi. This is the basis of the three agreements:
“General Framework Agreement”
Firstly, the two universities have signed a framework agreement to promote and strengthen scientific and educational collaboration in various fields of research, including through activities involving the exchange of teaching and research staff, as well as staff and students, and to undertake joint research activities.
“Student Exchange Agreement”
A specific agreement for student mobility has been signed which will involve a maximum of ten students per university each year. They will be selected by the home university and submitted for subsequent approval by the host university. The program will allow the students involved to obtain credits at their home university.
“Joint Lab Agreement”
Finally, the two universities have embarked on a five-year cooperation scheme in the field of hepatology and gastroenterology, through promotion of collaborative research activities – sharing their respective skills and capitalizing on the results achieved –, participation in Italian-Chinese government projects, and organization of conferences and workshops involving the participation of staff and PhD students from both institutions. In particular, a joint laboratory, called “Liver Immunology”, will be created at SJTU’s Institute of Digestive Disease, which will actively involve industrial partners in specific areas of research on liver autoimmune diseases.
Pietro Invernizzi, professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Milano-Bicocca, is responsible for the agreement on behalf of the university.
After the official ceremony in the morning, this afternoon the delegation from Shanghai University will visit the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza and the university’s School of Medicine and Surgery.
Jiao Tong University in Shanghai ranks among the best universities in the most demanding international rankings, especially for their “School of Medicine” (number 157 in the “2020 Times Higher Education World University Rankings” and number 60 in the “QS World University Rankings”) and is recognized as one of the top 9 universities in China (a member of the “Chinese C9 League”).