On 8 July, Professor Andreas Sumper, UPC’s Vice-Rector for International Policy, brought a delegation from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech to our campus.

Joining his visit were two deputy directors of the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering — Martí Sánchez Juny and Ivet Ferrer — alongside Helena Martinez, head of the university’s International Relations Office, and KOK WONG, manager in charge of strategic partnerships across China.

Welcoming the overseas guests were Vice Dean Chen Chen and Tian Weijia, Assistant to the Dean. The reception group also included Qu Chen, Deputy Director of Tongji’s University International Affairs Office; Yu Ji’en, liaison for Spanish and Portuguese-speaking territories at the same office; Ke Yirong, international secretary of the Sino-Spanish Institute; as well as Zhang Yuting, director of our college’s International Affairs Department, and Liu Shuxin, international secretary of the department.

Long-standing academic synergy links Tongji and UPC, with our college fostering steady, intimate collaborative bonds with the Catalan institution for years. Frequent mobility of faculty and students has built a robust foundation for joint undertakings.

At the roundtable discussion, Vice Dean Chen opened with a holistic introduction to our college’s development trajectory. Following this overview, Martí Sánchez Juny walked attendees through the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering’s distinctive strengths, covering core research lines, student cohort scale, disciplinary offerings and global partnership layouts.

The dialogue centred on two core priorities: co-hosted summer school programmes and joint research ventures tackling shared academic challenges. Both sides aligned on actionable communication protocols and step-by-step rollout plans for future joint work.

This session builds upon existing collaborative frameworks while carving out fresh avenues for multi-dimensional cross-border cooperation. It marks a pivotal step toward elevating our long-term strategic alliance and unlocking richer potential for joint innovation ahead.