On October 22, Nankai University signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Tianjin Medical University, based on which the two sides will advance forward the initiative for a Healthy China 2030 and the plan of China's Education Modernization 2035, exploring new models for cultivating talents in the new medical disciplines as part of their efforts to establish a medical and health system at a higher level.

The signing ceremony was held at Nankai University. Attendees included Chancellor Yang Qingshan and President Cao Xuetao of Nankai University, along with Chancellor Yao Zhi and President Yan Hua of Tianjin Medical University. President Cao and President Yan signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of the two respectiveparties. The ceremony was hosted by Xu Jingjun, Executive Vice President of Nankai University.

Nankai University is now formulating and implementing the “4211 Plan for Excellent Nankai”, highlighting the biomedical sciences as a new growth point to support the leap-forward development of medical sciences, noted Yang. He added that the strategic cooperation with Tianjin Medical University across the board helps the two schools making more contributions to Tianjin and the country as a whole.

Yao Zhi said that the two universities enjoy a long history of and a solid foundation for cooperation. As the 70th anniversary of Tianjin Medical University approaches, its substantive cooperation with Nankai University is expected to prosper Tianjin’s medical industry, while boosting the overall development of both universities.

In response to the development demand in national and regional medical education and industry, Nankai University will work hand in hand with Tianjin Medical University to initiate a demonstrative and innovative cooperation platform leading in medical teaching and research of discipline frontiers and crucial issues. The move further improves the four schemes proposed by Nankai University, namely “invigorate humanities”, “promote natural sciences”, “enhance engineering” and “develop biomedicine”: a step forward in implementing the “Double First Class” Initiative.

The strategic cooperation will substantively raise the quality of medical education in Tianjin, will help gather more top-notch resources to make it a new center for medical R&D and application. In addition, a large batch of high-quality talents will be fostered and pooled to satisfy people’s needs for a healthy life. On top of that, through integration of enterprises with universities and research institutes, Nankai University and Tianjin Medical University are poised to lead the biomedical development and beef up the core competence of the health industry, so as to push forward the economic growth, transformation and upgrading in Tianjin at a high level.

Cooperation between the two schools in medical education dates back to the 1950s. In 1951, students of the first pre-medical class of Tianjin Medical College enrolled in Nankai University. In 1980, under the joint initiative of Yang Shixian and Zhu Xianyi, then President of Nankai University and Dean of Tianjin Medical College, the two universities opened together a medical education pilot class lasting eight years, during which Nankai University took charge of teaching for the first three years. It was the second eight-year medical talent training program in China following the one initiated by Peking Union Medical College. The collaboration program cultivated a large number of outstanding medical talents for the nation. Since then, Nankai University has received great support from Tianjin Medical University in developing its medical disciplines. In 1989, with the founding of Nankai’s School of Medicine, Tianjin Medical University was approved by the Ministry of Education to confer degrees on the first three classes of Nankai graduates in clinical medicine. From 2004 to 2007, the General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University provided clinical practice and training for the students on seven-year program of Nankai University. Starting from 2019, the General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University renders Nankai’s foreign students from the School of Medicine with clinical practice as well as training. On July 28 this year, Tianjin Joint Institute of Public Health and Sanitation was established with the joint efforts of the two universities, opening a new leaf in teaching, research and talent-training in this field at both local and national level. The signing of the agreement for strategic cooperation thus marks the closer ties between the two universities.

(Reported by Junhui Wu, Photographed by Qiqi Zong, Translated by Cenying Wen, Edited by Davide Francolino and JianjingYun)