UNIVERSITY OF NOVI SAD AS THE NEW HEADQUARTERS OF THE SECRETARIAT OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS CONSORTIUM OF CHINA AND CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

 

The University of Novi Sad has been selected as the new CEEC headquarters of the Secretariat of the Higher Education Institutions Consortium for cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and 16 Central and Eastern European Countries at the 4th Meeting of the Consortium, which was held on September 22, 2017 at the Central University Building. 

This represents a very significant international acclaim, by means of which the University of Novi Sad has been granted the status of the coordinator for interinstitutional cooperation within the Consortium. Being the new headquarters of the Secretariat for the CEECs, the University of Novi Sad will perform its new role during the two-year term in cooperation with the permanent Secretariat of the Consortium headquartered in the People’s Republic of China.

The fourth international conference of universities from China and Central and Eastern European Countries has gathered the highest number of representatives from 80 leading universities from China and 16 European countries.

At the opening ceremony of the conference, the attendees were welcomed by the Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development, Mr. Mladen Šarčević, the Vice Minister of Education in China,  Mr. DU Zhanyuan, the President of the Provincial Government, Mr. Igor Mirović, the Mayor of Novi Sad,  Mr. Miloš Vučević, and the Rector of the University of Novi Sad, Prof. Dr. Dušan Nikolić, as the host.

During four working sessions, discussions were held about interinstitutional cooperation, with a special emphasis on joint capacity building in the field of higher education, science, and innovation. The conference participants emphasized the importance of mutual exchange of data on available and insufficiently tapped resources, their existing study programs, developmental and scientific projects, current and planned mobility programs, as well as international conferences, gatherings, and other significant activities of universities which are Consortium members.    

At the end of the conference, the Platform for Joint Capacity Building at Universities in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe and China in the Field of Higher Education was adopted and it represents the key document for further development of multilateral and bilateral cooperation of higher education institutions from China and Central and Eastern Europe.  

The 4th Meeting of Higher Education Institutions Consortium was held within the 16+1 Mechanism for cooperation between the People's Republic of China and 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The conference has gathered the highest number of participants so far, and owing to this fact, 23 new universities from China and Europe have become members of the Consortium.   

Prior to this conference, the 5th China-CEECs Education Policy Dialogue was held at the University of Novi Sad on September 21, 2017, bringing together high representatives of relevant ministries in the field of education from the People’s Republic of China and Central and Eastern European countries within the 16+1 Mechanism.