The University of Warwick has deepened its long-standing relationship with China during a ten-day visit to Shanghai and Beijing, led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart Croft. The trip strengthened research collaborations, celebrated the achievements of alumni, and inspired prospective students, as Warwick celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025.
Warwick has more than 305,000 alumni worldwide - of which 31,000 are from China, the largest alumni population outside the UK. Its campus supports a thriving student community, and a portfolio of high-impact joint research projects. Warwick has built a deep and enduring partnership with China, and this latest visit reaffirmed the University's commitment to advancing education, research, and innovation.
In Shanghai, Professor Croft met with leaders from Fudan University to mark over 20 years of collaboration between the two institutions. The visit celebrated the Fudan-Warwick Joint Seed Fund that launched earlier this year. The major initiative is designed to foster pioneering research across disciplines, while expanding opportunities for the exchange of academic expertise and student mobility. The first round of projects have started this September.
The delegation also visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Warwick's longest institutional partnership in China. The renewed five-year Joint Seed Fund has supported more than 55 collaborative research projects since 2019.
The relationship with SJTU continues to grow with initiatives such as a new institution-wide joint PhD programme, enrolling its first cohort in Autumn 2025, academic workshops, virtual classrooms, and the SJTU/Warwick Global Challenge for student-led innovation. According to Scopus data, between 2020 and 2025 Warwick researchers co-authored 155 research papers with SJTU counterparts.
The Vice-Chancellor also visited the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) to renew institutional-level relations, demonstrate Warwick's commitment to this growing partnership and celebrate the launch of the first collaborative PhD cohort starting in September 2025.
In the same spirit, the Vice-Chancellor met with Peking University (PKU), an important opportunity to strengthen strategic connections, celebrate the long-standing relationship between the two institutions and to congratulate PKU on its continued global leadership in higher education and research. It served as a platform to explore collaborative opportunities, enhance academic excellence, research impact, and global engagement.
"It was an honour to spend time in China and reaffirm Warwick's deep ties with our partners and alumni and communities here," Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor, University of Warwick said. "Over the decades, we have built relationships founded on shared ambition, mutual respect, and a commitment to excellence in research and education.
"This visit has reminded me not only of the impact our collaborations have already made but also of the extraordinary potential ahead of us. Whether we are supporting the next generation of innovators, working together on research that addresses global challenges, or celebrating the achievements of our alumni who are shaping industries and societies, China remains an essential part of Warwick's global story.
"In our 60th anniversary year, we are more determined than ever to expand these partnerships, deepen our engagement, and contribute to the shared goal of building a better future through education, research, innovation, and cross-cultural understanding."
The visit also celebrated Warwick's Chinese community. Two Vice-Chancellor hosted receptions in Shanghai and Beijing honoured our partnerships and collaborators in China, and our graduates making an impact in industries ranging from technology to finance.
The University also hosted two Open Days for prospective students and their families, showcasing Warwick's world leading research, distinctive student experience, and global reputation.
Academics from Cultural and Media Policy Studies, Engineering, Statistics, Warwick Business School (WBS) and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) led two panel sessions on 'Sustainability and Risk', and 'AI and China'. These sessions showcased Warwick's global leadership in tackling the defining challenges of our time-from the ethical deployment of artificial intelligence to the urgent demands of climate resilience and sustainable innovation.
Academics shared powerful case studies, including AI-driven healthcare and finance solutions, smart mobility systems, and pioneering sustainability projects such as the Coventry Very Light Rail, and air quality forecasting with The Alan Turing Institute.
With cross-disciplinary collaboration spanning engineering, business, statistics, and media studies, the panels illustrated how Warwick students are not only learning about the future-they are actively shaping it through research, industry partnerships, and real-world impact.
Professor Sai Gu, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (East and South East Asia), who joined the visit, reflected: "This visit was a powerful reminder of the strength of Warwick's Chinese community and the value of our longstanding partnerships in the country. From alumni who are leading in their fields to students eager to join our story, the connections between Warwick and China are dynamic, deep, and full of potential.
"As we look to the future, we are committed to nurturing these relationships even further - creating more opportunities for collaboration, for talent to flourish, and for our communities to work together to tackle the pressing challenges and exciting opportunities of the future."
Warwick's reputation in China is also reflected in its honorary graduates, who include Professor Chunli Bai, former President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr Roy Chung, Co-founder of Techtronic Industries and Warwick alumnus; and Professor Xinxin Zhang, former President of the University of Science and Technology Beijing. Their association with Warwick is a testament to the University's strong presence within China's academic and professional communities.
As Warwick celebrates six decades of academic excellence, it remains committed to expanding collaboration with China, fostering talent exchange, and working together to build a better future through education, research, and innovation.
