In August 2024, DONG Shihong, Secretary of HIC-ZJU’s Party Working Committee, led a delegation on a tour of leading European universities and research institutes to bolster key partnerships. Their itinerary included High Tech Campus Eindhoven and Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands; the University of Oslo, Oslo Science City, and the University of Bergen in Norway; and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.

The primary purpose of the visit was to investigate academic and administrative practices in innovation promotion and implementation. Throughout the tour, the delegation engaged in productive discussions with researchers across various disciplines. Conversations focused on potential strategic collaborations, emphasizing deepening partnerships, enhancing two-way personnel exchanges, implementing joint talent development programs, and fostering innovative research.  

ZHANG Xuan, a researcher at HIC-ZJU Future Science Research Institute, expressed hopes to align his work with international counterparts, leveraging joint laboratories to advance technological cooperation and transfer. Similarly, CHEN Songchao from the HIC-ZJU Soil Pollution Control and Remediation Innovation Workshop noted that experience drew from the Nordic countries' robust innovation systems could significantly benefit his research in soil information systems and enhance China's agro-ecological initiatives.

This visit marks the beginning of a new phase of cooperation across various dimensions. The delegation also used this opportunity to host several themed sessions aimed at attracting global talents to HIC-ZJU and unlocking their scientific potential.