The agreement, approved by China’s Ministry of Education, will enable the two institutions to jointly offer degrees in the fields of mechanics, manufacturing, and automation.
The programs will grant students dual degrees from courses in China and those offered by the University of Beira Interior (UBI) in Covilhã, in the district of Castelo Branco.
“In this manner, future engineers will receive a diploma from each country simultaneously,” stated the Portuguese higher education institution in a communiqué sent to the Lusa news agency.
UBI described the collaboration as having a “significant impact,” positioning the Covilhã institution as a partner of a university located in Hangzhou’s economic region, noted for being among the most powerful in China.
According to UBI, this partnership is the result of efforts to strengthen its international collaborations, particularly with JiaXing University.
“The agreement recently approved by the Chinese government is the culmination of a dialogue that included exploratory visits in both directions,” added the University of Beira Interior.
A delegation of Chinese professors visited Covilhã in 2024, and UBI faculty traveled to the Chinese university to present innovative engineering teaching methods that could be shared with their Chinese partners, as well as to showcase ongoing scientific research projects at the academy.
