On September 15, Iven Mareels, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Federation University Australia, led a delegation to visit SUES. SUES Vice President Xia Chunming met with the delegation on Songjiang Campus. Representatives from the International Office and School of Higher Vocational Education attended the meeting.
Xia Chunming extended a warm welcome to Mareels and his delegation. He introduced SUES’ positioning as an application-oriented university with a strong focus on innovation, as well as its achievements in integrating industry and education. He noted that the two universities share strengths in mechanical engineering, electrical and information engineering, and have established a solid foundation for cooperation with promising prospects. Since 2025, the two sides have maintained close exchanges through multiple mutual visits and meetings, reaching consensus on areas including joint educational programs, curriculum articulation, and talent development schemes. In June 2026, the two universities officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), establishing a formal institutional partnership. Xia expressed the hope that both sides would continue to maintain close communication, actively advance the application for undergraduate education cooperation programs, and further expand the scope of collaboration through joint research and the collaborative development of industry-oriented innovative talent.
Mareels expressed his appreciation for the warm reception extended by SUES and introduced Federation University Australia’s strong background in engineering, as well as its experience in engineering education, vocational bachelor’s degree programs, and industry–university collaboration. He stated that the Australian side would provide full support for the application for the undergraduate education cooperation program and further refine arrangements for curriculum articulation, faculty provision, and student internships to ensure the quality of talent cultivation. He expressed the expectation that, building on this program, the two universities would jointly cultivate high-quality engineering professionals with a global perspective.
During the visit, Mareels and his delegation toured the Virtual Simulation Teaching and Training Center for Cruise Tourism and Operations Management at the School of Management, as well as the flight simulator project at the School of Air Transportation & Flying. The delegation spoke highly of SUES’ teaching and training facilities and achievements in integrating industry and education, and expressed their expectation of further cooperation in relevant fields.
