On the morning of June 27, the graduation ceremony of the Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research (SDC) was held on Yuquanlu campus at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS). Representatives from both the Danish and Chinese sides attended the ceremony including Ms. Nina Espegaard Hassel, Innovation Attaché of the Danish Royal Consulate in Shanghai, Ms. CHEN Yinghui, Deputy Director General of Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of Chinese Ministry of Education, Prof. Brian Bech Nielsen, Rector of Aarhus University and Chairman of Danish SDC Board, Prof. WU Yueliang, Vice President of UCAS and Member of CAS, Prof. WANG Yanfen, Vice President of UCAS and Member of SDC Joint Managerial Committee, Prof. Thomas Bjørnholm, Prorector of University of Copenhagen and Member of Danish SDC board, Prof. Peter Kjær, Prorector of Roskilde University and Member of Danish SDC board, Prof. Jørgen Staunstrup, former Prorector of IT-University and Member of Danish SDC board, Prof. Martin Zachariasen, Dean at University of Southern Denmark and Member of Danish SDC board, Prof. Kjeld Erik Brødsgaard, Director of Asia Research Center of Copenhagen Business School and Member of Danish SDC board, Prof. Lauritz B. Holm-Nilesen, Danish SDC Director, Prof. HU Zhengyi, Executive Dean of Sino-Danish College, Dr. Morten Laugesen, Danish SDC Deputy Director and other distinguished guests.
Representatives attending SDC graduation ceremony
The graduation ceremony is a milestone for the SDC development over the past six years. On October 22, 2008, H.E. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China and H.E. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Establishment of a Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, at the Great Hall of the People. On April 12, 2010, H.E. Wen Jiabao, and H.E. Lars Rasmussen Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark witnessed the signing of Partnership Agreement Between University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Danish Universities on the Establishment of Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Agreement Between University of Chinese Academy of The State of Denmark Represented by The Danish Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation Concerning Construction, Maintenance and Operation of ‘House of the Danish Industry Foundation’ Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research on Yanqihu Campus at UCAS. Prof. BAI Chunli, President of CAS, Founding President of UCAS and Ms. Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, Minister of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation signed on the agreement. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, and the Danish Universities agreed to jointly develop a Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research (SDC). In 2013, the Sino-Danish College was officially approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education to undertake educational function of SDC.
Ms. Charlotte Sahl-Madsen and Prof. BAI Chunli signing SDC collaboration agreement
According to an agreement signed on December 18, 2013, Danish Industry Foundation will invest 109.6 million RMB to build up an SDC building, accommodating about 100 researchers and more than 300 graduate students from China, Denmark and other countries. The SDC building will also function as a training and service platform for around 350 Danish enterprises in China. On April 26, 2014, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark broke ground for SDC building and delivered a speech. The Danish and Chinese sides, including governments, ministries, and universities have attached great importance to the SDC project.
H. M. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Prof. BAI Chunli breaking ground for SDC Building
The Joint Managerial Committee (JMC), serves as the highest management system at SDC, is composed of 10 members from the both sides. The first JMC chairman from the Chinese side was previously Prof. BAI Chunli, President of CAS and founding President of UCAS, and taken over by Prof. DING Zhongli, Vice President of CAS, President of UCAS. The Danish JMC chairman is Mr. Uffe Toudal Pedersen, Permanent Secretary of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science. They have jointly dedicated great efforts in designing the SDC future blueprint and pushing forward the SDC collaboration project.
Since 2012, a total of 473 graduate students have been enrolled by SDC from Denmark and China, including 383 master students (253 Chinese students, 130 Danish students) and 90 doctoral students (44 Chinese students, 46 Danish students). SDC applies the double tutorial and double-degree systems. SDC graduates will be awarded double-degree from UCAS and the Danish cooperative university.
Degree awarding
Degree awarding
On the graduation ceremony, representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Education, the Danish Royal Embassy, the Danish SDC Board and UCAS delivered speeches, congratulating SDC students on their academic achievements, and encouraged students and SDC to fulfill their ambitious goals and responsibilities in terms of bridging the Sino-Danish education and scientific collaboration. Ms. CHEN Yinghui, Deputy Director General of Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of Chinese Ministry of Education, in her speech, highlighted that the Sino-Danish College, as the collaboration outcome by Denmark and China, approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education in 2013, was a beneficial attempt in exploration towards the high-level Sino-Foreign educational collaboration model. Since establishment, the Sino-Danish College has constructed a highly efficient management and organization system, integrated and innovated talent cultivation, built high quality teaching faculty and trained competent international elites. She also emphasized that the Sino-Danish College made certain achievements and broke new ground for the Sino-Foreign collaboration. She encouraged SDC to exert itself to further probe into collaboration, cultivate more international talents, and contribute to the Sino-Danish education communication and cooperation development. Prof. DING Zhongli, Vice President of CAS, President of UCAS, Member of CAS sent his greetings to SDC students, and expressed that “SDC students carry hopes and expectations of both countries and stand for the first dream coming true for SDC”. He hoped that “SDC graduates will be friendship ambassadors for Sino-Danish exchange and cooperation and promote SDC as the model for joint education programmes in China.” Student and teacher representatives from different master programmes shared their study and research experiences in the cross-cultural background.
DING Zhongli’s Words to SDC
Ms. CHEN Yinghui on behalf of Chinese Ministry of Education delivering a speech
Ms. Nina Espegaard Hassel on behalf of Danish Royal Embassy delivering a speech
Prof. WU Yueliang on behalf of UCAS delivering a speech
Prof. Brian Bech Nielsen on behalf of Danish SDC Board delivering a speech
Prof. WANG Yanfen announcing the list of degree awardees
Prof. Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen hosting SDC graduation ceremony
Prof. HU Zhengyi hosting SDC graduation ceremony
Prof. HUA Zhaolin on behalf of SDC faculty delivering a speech
Ms. Karoline Bergendorff from Innovation Management master's programme delivering a speech
Ms. Lv Boxue from Public Management and Social Development master’s programme delivering a speech
66 graduates from SDC have received double degrees from UCAS and the Danish cooperative universities. A newly wedded couple graduated from SDC, of which the bridegroom Carsten Gleesborg is from Denmark, the bride XU Yanhua is from China, received warm greetings and wishes from the two sides.
The newly wedded SDC couple receiving greetings
Group photo of 2012 year SDC graduates
Group photo of 2013 year SDC graduates
The first batch of SDC graduates have been widely accepted by enterprises, universities from both Denmark and China. The employment rate reaches more than 90%. Local and international companies and institutions, such as China Life Insurance, Shougang Corporation, China Youth Daily, Danish State Administration of Taxation, Danish universities, hospitals, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT), DESMI have recruited SDC students. For those who choose to further pursue educational achievements, they have successfully applied CAS, Tsinghua University, Chinese University of Hongkong, University of Oslo, France’s National Centre for Scientific Research for PhD degree.
SDC project has been the only “1+8” model (UCAS cooperating with the eight Danish universities) among the Sino-Foreign educational collaboration programs. With implementation of SDC project, it is the ambition that UCAS and the Danish partner universities will integrate the east with the west in terms of training talents, intensify interaction and exchanges in education and research. SDC greatly inspires the Sino-Foreign education collaboration model from various aspects, and takes the lead in the national high educational collaboration trend. The center will be aiming at becoming high quality project and training of a new generation of Danish and Chinese elites who will undertake great responsibilities in bridging the two nations’ science and friendship.
