From May 30 to 31, a delegation of Tianjin University (TJU) led by Vice President Liu Dongzhi visited Belgium to promote educational cooperation and alumni work among TJU and Belgian universities and institutions. During this time, the delegation payed a visit to KU Leuven, China-Belgium Technology Center (CBTC), Inter-university Microelectronics Center (IMEC) as well as the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium. They also heard an alumni work report of the TJU’s Belgium Alumni Association. They also visited the TJU students who are studying in Belgian.

On May 31, the delegation visited KU Leuven and renewed the cooperation memorandum with Professor Peter Lievens, Vice Rector of KU Leuven. Professor Lievens warmly welcomed the TJU delegation and mentioned that Professor Klavs Hansen, his scientific partner and friend, is currently working at the Center for Joint Quantum Studies at TJU. He will also come to TJU to visit friends and promote further cooperation in August this year. He hopes that the two universities can strengthen cooperation in scientific research on the basis of student exchanges, promote the connection between professors through joint training programs for doctoral students, and conduct cooperative research in areas of common interest. Liu briefly pointed out TJU’s advantages and recent developments and emphasized that the past years have witnessed in-depth cooperation in student exchange and joint training between TJU and KU Leuven. The next step is to further strengthen their advantages in chemical engineering, precision instruments, and electronic information and explore more scientific research. After the meeting, Liu and Peter Lievens signed a memorandum of cooperation on behalf of the two universities to continue various personnel exchanges and educational cooperation. Afterwards, the delegation visited the world-famous Inter-university Microelectronics Center (IMEC).

The delegation also visited students from TJU who are studying in KU Leuven. Liu updated them on the achievements of TJU in recent years, the construction of Emerging Engineering education and the future development trends. He said that TJU has developed rapidly in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and information engineering, among others, and hoped that the students will study hard and carry forward the spirit and character of Tianjin University people. TJU will provide services for students and help them solve various practical problems after they finish their study and come back to their alma mater.

On the morning of May 30, the delegation, accompanied by Song Zhiwei, Chairman of the TJU Belgium Alumni Association, visited CBTC which is located in new Leuven City. By doing so, the delegation learned of the general situation of the Center's investment in high-tech fields and the construction of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center led by Mr. Song. Mr. Song reported to the delegation on the work of the Belgium alumni and the preparation of the TJU Europe Alumni Association. Liu fully endorsed the work of the Belgium Alumni Association and hoped that TJU could rely on alumni resources, and the excellent platform of CBTC to uncover innovative and entrepreneurial projects and outstanding talented people to help the development of TJU and the Center, as well as provide a better service and development platform for Europe alumni.

On the afternoon of May 30, the delegation visited the Educational Section of the Chinese Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. Counselor Zheng Baoguo, hoped that Tianjin University would continue to promote deep educational cooperation with KU Leuven, while expanding to include more Belgian partners, such as IMEC and Gent University. The Educational Office will continue give its support to Tianjin University and serve TJU students.

Founded in 1425, KU Leuven boasts the reputation of “the national university of Belgium”. It is the country's top institution of higher learning and the leader and co-founder of the League of European Research Universities (LERU). KU Leuven ranks first in Belgium and is among the top 100 universities in the world and is voted, for the third consecutive year, as the most innovative university in Europe. The university has approximately 54,000 students and 10,000 faculty and staff. Its research areas include semiconductors, microelectronics and nanotechnology, bioinformatics and biostatistics, stem cell research, clinical medicine and medical imaging. Tianjin University started a joint undergraduate training program with KU Leuven in 2012 and more than 10 students have been sent to study at the university so far.

Founded in 1984, Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC) is the world's leading research and development center for nanoelectronics and digital technology. Its research mainly focuses on microelectronics, nanotechnology, auxiliary design methods and information and communication technologies (ICT). IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and employs approximately 3,500 scientific researchers. Research funding for 2017 is approximately 550 million euros.