On November 5, President Duan Xianzhong attended the China-Italy Forum of Rectors, and delivered a speech on the topic of “promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning, motivating innovation and creation”via video link.

President Duan addresses the forum.

President Duan presented that, dated back to the founding of Yuelu Academy in 976 AD., HNU has maintained the glorious culture and education standards for long. It continues to focus on the essence of its motto “seeking truth from facts; and, daring to be pioneers”, and adopts distinctive teaching style featuring cultural education and practice orientation. Numerous outstanding talents were fostered.

He noted that, HNU and Italian universities have inherited and promoted their time-honored educational tradition, and enhanced exchanges and mutual learning which effectively facilitated bilateral cooperation and achieved a number of innovative outcomes. Italian experts participated in establishing the China-Italy Design Innovation Center and the Hunan Hyperspectral Image Acquisition and Processing Research Center. The Danieli Metallurgical Equipment Co., Ltd., a world-class conticaster producer in Italy, collaborated with HNU in electromagnetic stirring system. HNU has developed deep friendship with Italian societies. Romano Prodi and Massimo D'Alema, former prime ministers of Italy, once visited HNU. Italian universities, such as Polytechnic University of Milan, participated in HNU’s “New Channel – Hua Yao Hua” cultural creation program which was recommended by UNESCO.

He called for more exchanges and mutual learning between HNU and Italian universities. The two sides would explore their own prominent culture and educational tradition, expand cooperation, motivate innovation and creation, andgive new impetus to education development, so as to further deepen China-Italy friendship based on educational and sci-tech communication, and contribute to the human civilization.

The forum was co-hosted by Tsinghua University and Polytechnic University of Milan. Presidents and rectors from 20 Chinese and Italian universities attended, to share their views on “innovation and creationunder the global perspective” and “innovative interdisciplinary practice”, review educational and sci-tech cooperation over the past five decades, and discuss new thoughts of innovative talent cultivation and social development.