Politecnico di Torino on a Mission to China to Strengthen Collaborations in Education and Research

La delegazione del Politecnico in visita alla Shanghai Jiao Tong University

PoliTo delegation visiting Shanghai Jiao Tong University

The Rector Stefano Corgnati traveled to China, accompanied by a delegation from the Politecnico di Torino that included, among others, the Co-Directors of PoliTo China Center Alessandro Vigliani and Francesco Novelli, as well as the Director of the Department of Architecture and Design (DAD), Michele Bonino, former Rector's Delegate for Relations with China and Asian Countries.

This marked the Rector’s first official visit to the country, an important occasion to consolidate the longstanding partnerships between the PoliTo and centers of excellence in education and research in China, while fostering new opportunities for cooperation in innovation and sustainability in the fields of engineering, architecture, and design.

From November 7 to 11, the delegation attended numerous meetings with prominent figures from the economic and political spheres, aimed at deepening and expanding partnerships between Italy and China in political, economic, and cultural domains. Among these was the meeting—held on November 8 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing—between Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Chinese President Xi Jinping, also attended by Rector Corgnati. This visit, Mattarella’s second state visit since his term began, commemorated the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the "global strategic partnership" between Italy and China, with discussions focusing on global challenges and the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two nations. This included not only economic collaboration but also cultural exchanges, such as Mattarella's visit to the exhibition “Journey of Knowledge: Marco Polo's Il Milione and its Legacy between East and West” at the China Millennium Museum, where DAD researcher Giorgia Cestaro acted as guide for the President and Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani.

PoliTo delegation participates in China-Italy University Presidents' Dialogue

The PoliTo delegation also visited New Energy Vehicle Center (NEVC), a government entity with which the Politecnico di Torino has collaborated since 2018 on shared research projects in sustainable mobility. This meeting set the stage for the signing of a new agreement, scheduled for November 26 in Naples during the Italy-China Week of Science and Technology, focusing on innovative and sustainable research development in both nations. Following this, the delegation met with Professor Zhu Pei, Dean of the School of Architecture and Design at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), an art academy directly overseen by China’s Ministry of Education.

On November 9, the delegation was invited to the China-Italy University Presidents’ Dialogue, held at Peking University. This event, a precursor to the Italian-Chinese University Presidents’ Forum scheduled for 2025 and promoted by the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI), began with speeches from China’s Minister of Education, Huai Jinpeng, and Italy’s Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini. Rector Corgnati served as a speaker in the session titled Talent Cultivation and Technological Innovation—Opportunities and Challenges of International Cooperation. Another notable visit during the Rector’s itinerary was to Vector Architects, an internationally renowned architectural firm whose founder, Gong Dong, has been a Visiting Professor at DAD and continues to maintain strong collaborative ties with Politecnico di Torino.

Rector Stefano Corgnati and Tsinghua University President Li Luming ratify an agreement to set up the joint ‘Urban Ergonomics’ laboratory

The mission concluded in Shanghai, where the delegation visited Tongji University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. At Tongji University, the delegation visited the site for the future pavilion of Politecnico di Torino. As part of the Sino-Italian Campus of Engineering and Innovation (SICEI), PoliTO students are designing a pavilion for Tongji’s campus, while Tongji students are constructing one along the Po River in Turin. These pavilions are intended to host the respective student communities. At Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the delegation explored the university campus, including the new facilities and laboratories of the School of Design.

Strategic agreements were signed during this mission to enhance cooperation between PoliTo and Chinese universities. One significant agreement, signed with Tongji University Council Chairman Fang Shouen, aims to deepen collaboration through the SICEI initiative. The goal of the agreement is to establish interdisciplinary research centers and joint doctoral programs focused on sustainable development, particularly climate change management, carbon neutrality, systemic design, and intelligent innovation. Under the SICEI framework, a new Joint School between the Politecnico and Tongji University will be launched in Shanghai, supported by China’s Ministry of Education. The school will offer three master’s degree programs in Environmental Engineering, ICT for Smart Societies, and Systemic Design, with extensive involvement from the Politecnico’s faculty.

The delegation also visited Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University, China’s top-ranked institution, which has maintained a partnership with the Politecnico di Torino for nearly two decades since 2006. During their visit, Rector Corgnati and Tsinghua President Li Luming formalized an agreement for the joint Urban Ergonomics laboratory, launched in 2021 by the PoliTo Department of Architecture and Design (DAD). This joint lab will operate from spaces in both Turin (ToExpo) and Beijing (Tsinghua University). The delegation also engaged with the community of over ten doctoral students and researchers from the Polytechnic currently based at Tsinghua, who will form the core team of the joint lab on Urban Ergonomics.