Officials from Jiangsu and the UK sign an agreement to join together to world class universities in London on Dec 7. [Photo/english.jsjyt.gov.cn]

Jiangsu and the UK proposed to join together and build world class universities this March, and the idea was finally put into practice on Dec 7 as the two sides signed an agreement in London. 

Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong, UK Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, and 45 university representatives witnessed the signing ceremony. 

According to the agreement, Jiangsu and UK will promote cooperation among 20 respective universities, with areas covering student and scholar exchanges, collaborative research, and joint cultivation of graduate and doctoral students. 

The alliance of “Jiangsu-UK 20+20 world class universities” was established the same day. 

The first group of six Jiangsu and British universities have put their cooperative ideas to the ground levels, such as Oxford and Nanjing University that are looking forward to carry out frequent exchanges for teachers, researchers and mathematical finance-majored students; the University of Reading and Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology are seeking to expand their cooperative ties from undergraduate to postgraduate education.