Hangzhou, China – 21–24 October 2025 – T.I.M.E. Association participated in the second Beihang Global Partner Summit hosted at Beihang University’s Hangzhou International Campus, under the theme “Building an Inclusive, Innovative, and Collaborative Sustainable Global Network of Partners.” The event brought together 230 participants from over 130 universities and research institutions across more than 50 countries.
Held on Beihang University’s newly established international campus – inaugurated in 2023 in cooperation with the Hangzhou municipal government – the Summit reflected China’s ambition to build a high-level demonstration area for international education, interdisciplinary research, talent development, and Sino-foreign cooperation. The campus is designed to host up to 10,000 students, with more than 60% at graduate level, and already features strategic partnerships such as the Zhongfa Aviation Institute with ENAC and the Beihang Valencia Polytechnic Institute (BVPI), the first Spanish university center established in China.
Strategic agreements and research platforms
The Summit marked the formal signing of four cooperation agreements between Beihang University and institutions from Brazil, Spain, and Macao, covering artificial intelligence, data science, joint doctoral programmes, and academic collaboration.
In parallel, six joint laboratories and cooperation platforms were inaugurated, dedicated to advancing scientific collaboration through joint research, shared infrastructure, staff and student mobility, and coordinated innovation activities.
Spain and Brazil in the spotlight
Spain and Brazil received particular emphasis during the Summit.
A Beihang–Madrid Polytechnic University Day celebrated long-standing academic cooperation and the 20th anniversary of the China–Spain comprehensive strategic partnership.
The Beihang Brazil Innovation Forum brought together over 50 experts and professors from 11 major Brazilian universities and research institutions, including the University of São Paulo, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, UNICAMP, UFMG, and UFSC.
T.I.M.E. Association’s High-Level Meetings
As Secretary General of T.I.M.E. Association, Gwenaëlle Guillerme participated in a high-level meeting with President Wang Yunpeng and senior representatives from partner universities across Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. The session offered an opportunity to formally present T.I.M.E. Association and explore joint avenues in engineering education, research, and student mobility.
Focus on Internationalisation at Home and Pedagogical innovation
T.I.M.E. Association also contributed to an International Expert Consultation Meeting on Internationalization at Home at Beihang’s Hangzhou campus. Experts examined how to intentionally integrate international and intercultural dimensions into curricula and campus life to ensure that all students—beyond those who go abroad—benefit from an international learning experience. Recommendations highlighted the need to regard internationalisation at home as a core and complementary dimension of global engagement strategies, rather than a substitute for physical mobility.
The Association also took part in the International Symposium on Challenge-Based Learning (CBL). Discussions centred on curriculum design, competence frameworks, quality assurance, governance, and staff development. These exchanges confirmed Beihang University as a strategic partner in innovative engineering education, and highlighted common challenges shared across T.I.M.E. member institutions.
Outlook and Opportunities
Several concrete opportunities stem from these engagements, including:
- mapping T.I.M.E. member institutions working with CBL or similar models,
- establishing a focused working group on CBL,
- and exploring the integration of “internationalisation at home” as a structural pillar in T.I.M.E.’s collaborative agenda.
T.I.M.E. Association’s participation in the Beihang Global Partner Summit 2025 reinforces its commitment to strengthening global partnerships, supporting innovative learning models in engineering, and advancing multidimensional academic cooperation worldwide.