Strengthening educational bonds: Zhejiang University's landmark visit to Brunei

In a landmark visit from November 8 to 10, Prof. REN Shaobo, chairman of the Zhejiang University Council, led a delegation to Brunei to enhance educational cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. The delegation's agenda included renewing a talent development agreement with Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), visiting Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd (Hengyi Industries) and meeting the Chinese Ambassador to Brunei.

A step forward in joint training of petrochemical talent

A pivotal moment of the visit occurred on November 8, with Prof. REN Shaobo attending the signing ceremony for the Pulau Muara Besar Phase 2 Development Project, a significant collaboration among Hengyi Industries, the Petroleum Authority of Brunei Darussalam and the Brunei Economic Development Board. Furthermore, Chairman Ren co-signed the third phase of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Universiti Brunei Darussalam's Vice-Chancellor Hazri bin Haji Kifle.

Pursuant to the MoU, ZJU, UBD, and Hengyi Industries will continue to work on training the UBD students on the Chemical and Process Engineering, at ZJU and UBD, for an additional five years. This phase marks a continuing commitment by Zhejiang University to develop skilled international petrochemical professionals, thereby bolstering Brunei's petrochemical sector and aiding Chinese enterprises abroad.

A decade of synergistic partnership

Over the past decade, Zhejiang University has collaborated with Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Hengyi Group to cultivate over 160 petrochemical professionals, with more than 100 graduates enhancing the workforce of Hengyi Industries. This successful collaboration has established a robust “academia-academia-industry” model, synergizing education with practical industry application.

The future of this collaboration looks promising, with both universities acknowledging the milestone significance of the third phase MoU. The focus remains on producing more tangible outcomes and strengthening the exchange of innovative and entrepreneurial talent cultivation practices.

Key discussions and engagements

During his visit, Prof. REN Shaobo also met with XIAO Jianguo, the Chinese Ambassador to Brunei. They discussed leveraging Zhejiang University's academic strengths to further collaboration with Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Hengyi Group, thereby supporting the development of Brunei's petrochemical industry and fostering friendly cooperation between China and Brunei.

The delegation also conducted productive discussions with UBD, focusing on deepening cooperation in talent cultivation in chemical engineering and expanding exchanges in areas such as information, green energy, and ecological environment. The delegation's visit to UBD’s key research facilities and Hengyi Industries, including interactions with students and discussions with top leaders of Hengyi Group, underscored the commitment to fostering a dynamic and forward-looking partnership.