On July 23, a delegation of 12 members led by President SONG Baowei of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) visited Harbin Engineering University (HEU) for an academic exchange. The symposium was attended by HEU President SONG Yingdong, NPU Vice President ZHANG Kaifu, HEU Vice Presidents YIN Jingwei and YU Zhiwen, as well as Assistant Presidents YIN Hang and GENG Jing.

During the session, the two universities engaged in discussions on key topics including talent cultivation, international recruitment, the development of research platforms, and discipline specialization.

President SONG Yingdong extended a warm welcome to the NPU delegation, highlighting the shared heritage of both universities as successors of the PLA Military Institute of Engineering. He emphasized their aligned missions in contributing to national strategies and advancing defense technologies. Acknowledging NPU’s expertise in system integration and its focus on cultivating “chief-engineer-type” talent, SONG proposed deeper collaboration in education, scientific research, and discipline development to better serve national and military needs.

President SONG Baowei echoed these sentiments, referring to the two universities as “sister institutions” under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). He commended HEU’s accomplishments in the fields of shipbuilding, marine equipment, ocean exploration, and nuclear energy. He advocated for mutual learning, joint research initiatives, and collaborative innovation to contribute to China’s goals in education, science, and talent development.

Senior administrators from both institutions also presented detailed reports on talent development strategies, faculty team building, “one-stop” student community programs, and academic discipline construction, followed by in-depth discussions.