Lingnan University and Qingdao University sign MoU to strengthen collaboration in Shandong-Hong Kong education

Welcoming the delegation from Qingdao University, Prof Qin said that Lingnan, with its century-long educational heritage, is committed to advancing a liberal arts education model that integrates arts and sciences in the digital era, establishing a pre-eminent position in global liberal arts education, and serving as a valuable model for the diversified development of higher education in China.

He explained that Lingnan University was one of the first in the Hong Kong SAR to provide free campus-wide access to generative artificial intelligence tools in 2023, as well as systematic guidance to help students use AI responsibly, placing the University at the forefront of digital transformation in education.

In recent years, indicators have highlighted Lingnan’s strong performance, and it comes first of Hong Kong universities in both the growth of local student applications and the employment of graduates. Prof Qin also said that Lingnan University and Qingdao University share similar historical backgrounds and closely aligned educational philosophies, providing broad prospects for collaboration.

Prof Wei thanked Lingnan for their generous hospitality, and spoke of Qingdao University’s academic heritage, comprehensive range of disciplines, and great strengths in interdisciplinary integration between medicine and engineering. Qingdao’s textile programme is one of the finest in the world, while its medical fields rank consistently among the best in China. It is currently implementing its “Super ABC” development strategy, which focuses on AI, big data, computing power, and healthcare. Equipped with a supercomputing centre and extensive medical data resources, Qingdao has achieved impressive results in smart healthcare and intelligent textiles, which align with Lingnan University’s development in AI education and the integration of arts and sciences. Prof Wei looks forward to the two institutions working together.

They discussed interdisciplinary research in AI and healthcare, collaborative innovation in data science, joint postgraduate training, and student recruitment as well as academic exchanges, reaching broad consensus on future cooperation.

The Qingdao University delegation also toured the Lingnan campus, and visited the Chamber of Young Snow Art Exhibition Hall and United Nations University Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University (UNU Hub at Lingnan University).