On the afternoon of October 27th, with the active promotion and full accompaniment of YGL, a delegation from the West Greece Region and the University of Patras, led by Panagiotis Papazopoulos, Vice President of the West Greece Region for Entrepreneurship, Research and Innovation, visited the Chengdu Campus of Sichuan Agricultural University (SICAU) and held a cooperation negotiation meeting with the university.

Wu De, President of SICAU, extended a warm welcome to the delegation and expressed gratitude to all friends who had long supported Sino-Greek cooperation in education and science and technology. He noted that the two universities had achieved fruitful cooperation results, and the establishment of Patras College, Sichuan Agricultural University based on this cooperation will further promote practical cooperation such as joint talent training and curriculum co-construction. Taking this opportunity, he hoped the two sides would focus on advancing three key areas: first, conducting joint scientific research on key issues such as global food security and ecological protection; second, refining the faculty and student exchange program and clarifying the scale of exchanges and research directions; third, agreeing on the frequency and themes of academic forums. These will deepen exchanges among scholars in fields such as agricultural science and technology and food engineering, so as to promote high-level synergy between the two universities in talent training, scientific research innovation and industrial services, and contribute to Sino-Greek educational and cultural exchanges.

On behalf of the West Greece Region, Panagiotis Papazopoulos expressed his thanks and emphasized that the cooperation between the two universities was pushing the regional cooperation between the two sides into a new stage and injecting positive momentum into the prosperity and development of both regions. Cooperation between universities and regions is not only a platform for academic exchanges, but also an important practice in building a community with a shared future for mankind. The West Greece Region is willing to work with SICAU, adhering to the principle of win-win cooperation, to inject lasting impetus into the development of Sino-Greek relations and contribute wisdom and strength to food security and sustainable development.

Dionysios Manzavinos, Vice Rector for International Strategy and External Relations of the University of Patras, stated that as the third-largest comprehensive university in Greece, the University of Patras attached great importance to its internationalization strategy. He reviewed the cooperation history between the two universities and pointed out that since the signing of the cooperation memorandum two years ago, the two sides had made remarkable progress in academic exchanges, joint scientific research and other fields, especially that the cooperation in agricultural science had entered a substantive stage. The joint application for the Sino-foreign cooperative education institution submitted this time, covering undergraduate and master’s programs, is an important manifestation of the deepening cooperation. He expressed expectations for further promoting faculty and student exchanges and joint scientific research, and exploring more cooperation opportunities in key areas.

At the meeting, the two sides officially signed the agreement on the Sino-foreign cooperative education institution, agreeing to co-establish Patras College, Sichuan Agricultural University. At the undergraduate level, two majors are planned to be offered: Environmental and Ecological Engineering, and Aquaculture, both of which are top disciplines of the University of Patras in the Greek higher education system. At the master’s level, the major of Environmental Science and Engineering will be offered to cultivate professional and compound talents with an understanding of Chinese and European policies.

Wang Jirui, Vice President of SICAU, presided over the meeting. Representatives from Board of Trustees of University of Patras, heads of relevant colleges, as well as heads of SICAU’s Academic Affairs Office, Graduate School, International Exchange and Cooperation Office and other relevant departments attended the meeting. Before the meeting, the delegation also visited the university’s history museum.