On October 14, a delegation of higher education institutions from France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region visited Tongji University. Prof. LYU Peiming, Executive Vice President of Tongji, met with the delegation and helda meeting to discuss future cooperation.

The delegation included Prof. Damien Fabregue, Vice-President for International Affairs at the National Institutes of Science and Technology (INSA); Prof. Christophe Hajjar, Vice-Rector for Research, Enterprise and Innovation at the Lyon Catholic University(UCLy); and ZOU Huanhuan, Head of Communications and Development at the Franco-Chinese Institute. Representatives from Tongji’s Foreign Affairs Office, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, College of Civil Engineering, School of Computer Science and Technology, School of Foreign Studies, and Sino-French Institute of Engineering and Management(IFCIM) also attended the meeting.

In recent years, Tongji University has actively explored the application of AI to disciplinary development. It has built a strong foundation for cooperation with higher education institutions in France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, including nearly 20 years of partnership with INSA, close ties with the Franco-Chinese Institute, and productive exchanges with the University of Lyon and ENS de Lyon. Looking ahead, Tongji hopes to further expand cooperation with universities in the region in areas such as two-way student exchanges, research collaboration, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

During the meeting, Prof. Fabregue outlined the latest developments at INSA in engineering and technology, as well as prospects for future cooperation. Prof. Hajjar introduced UCLy and expressed his willingness to explore collaboration with Tongji in disciplines such as the humanities and social sciences. Representatives from Tongji’s College of Civil Engineering, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, School of Computer Science and Technology, and School of Foreign Studies also shared their views. Both sides exchanged ideas on potential collaboration across relevant academic disciplines.

Following the meeting, the delegation visited the Smart Campus Decision-Making Cockpit, where they learned about Tongji’s achievements in digital campus development. The delegation spoke highly of Tongji’s innovative efforts to modernize university governance through the application of information technology.