On May 18, the Conference on Reform, Development and International Cooperation of Applied Technology Universities, a key event of the “5.18” Economic and Trade Fair, was held at the Runze Big Data Center. The conference was co-hosted by the Hebei Provincial Department of Education and the Langfang Municipal People’s Government, and organized by NCIAE and the Langfang Municipal Education Bureau. Yang Yong, Director of the Provincial Department of Education, attended the conference and delivered a speech. The event was chaired by Hou Jianguo, Second-Level Inspector of the Provincial Department of Education. Also in attendance were NCIAE Party Secretary Hao Yulong, President Han Wenzhong, Vice President Chen Gang, and more than 100 leaders and experts from over 30 universities across Hebei Province.

In his address, Director Yang Yong noted that Hebei has been actively exploring and developing applied technology universities to meet the demands of economic restructuring, industrial transformation and upgrading, and innovation-driven development, with fruitful results achieved in accelerating the construction of a high-quality education system. He emphasized that the conference provides a valuable opportunity to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Hebei and applied technology universities from other countries, and expressed hope that all parties would enhance communication, deepen collaboration, and achieve mutual benefits in areas such as talent cultivation models, curriculum systems, teaching methods, faculty development, and education quality assurance.

NCIAE President Han Wenzhong delivered a presentation titled “Cross-Boundary Integration and Innovation: Building a High-Level Applied University with Distinctive Features,” in which he shared the university’s exploration and practices in applied university development. He noted that through the implementation of three major strategies, NCIAE has sharpened its distinctive characteristics; through three key reforms, it has refined its talent cultivation system; and through strengthening three foundational areas, it has built a more solid base for development. He highlighted the university’s achievements in deepening industry-education integration, strengthening university-enterprise collaboration, and enhancing students’ practical skills.

The conference also featured remarks by Xu Hongwei, Director of the Langfang Municipal Education Bureau, and presentations by Ma Guowei, Vice President of Hebei University of Technology; Li Xiaoqi, Vice President of Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao; Shen Shigang, Vice President of Hebei University; and Xu Yongzan, Vice President of Hebei University of Science and Technology. Each shared insights from their respective institutions on topics such as international exchanges and cooperation in higher education, higher education evaluation, and the transformation and development of applied technology universities. In addition, Harald Beschorner, Administrative President of FOM University of Applied Sciences for Economics and Management in Germany, and President Turo Kilpeläinen from Finland also delivered presentations virtually, sharing their institutions’ successful experiences.

Prior to the conference, attendees watched the live broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 2021 China·Langfang International Economic and Trade Fair on the large screen.