On December 17, President Turo Kilpeläinen of Finland’s LAB University of Applied Sciences visited SUES. SUES President Lou Yongqi met with President Kilpeläinen, during which the two sides held talks and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The meeting was attended by heads of the International Office, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, and School of Design (in development).
President Lou warmly welcomed President Kilpeläinen, recalling the productive exchange during his delegation’s visit to LAB in September. He introduced SUES’ development history and distinctive features, emphasizing its commitment to becoming a world-class application-oriented and innovation-driven university. This involves advancing the integration of Engineering, Management, and Design—the “3-Wings”—and refining a talent cultivation model that blends industry with education, encourages university-enterprise collaboration, and focuses on practical application.
President Lou further elaborated on SUES’ initiatives in innovation translation, interdisciplinary talent development, and educational reform. He highlighted the use of AI to enhance teaching and administrative efficiency and to build a smart, personalized educational ecosystem for nurturing future-ready innovators. He described Shanghai’s urban space as SUES’ extended campus, breaking traditional boundaries to deepen collaboration with the city and local enterprises. Noting the strong alignment between Chinese and Finnish institutions in application-oriented education and service to industry, he expressed hope that the MoU would deepen cooperation in faculty-student exchanges, joint programs, and applied research.
President Kilpeläinen thanked SUES for the hospitality and commended its work in industry-education integration and applied innovation. He stated that LAB similarly emphasizes practice-oriented education and benefits from a complementary partnership with Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology (LUT) in Finland. He stressed that higher education must look to the future, adding that cooperation should not wait for the perfect moment, but be actively created through shared values and mutual understanding.
The two presidents then signed the MoU. Both sides agreed to gradually advance practical, culturally informed cooperative projects in areas of shared interest. During the meeting, representatives from School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering and School of Design (in development) presented their disciplinary strengths and expressed interest in future collaboration in engineering, design innovation, and international joint programs.
President Kilpeläinen also toured key facilities, including the Siemens Advanced Automation Technology Joint Demonstration Center, the Boeing 737-800 Flight Simulator, the Shanghai Higher Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship Education Experimental Base, and the Innovation &Chips Lab, as well as art and design labs. The visits provided him with further insight into SUES’ educational approach and practice-oriented teaching system.
This visit and the signing of the MoU follow SUES’ trip to LAB in September, laying a solid foundation for sustained and in-depth cooperation between the two universities in application-oriented and innovation-driven higher education.
