A high-level delegation from the Beijing University of Posts & Telecommunications (BUPT), led by Vice President Jianhua Zhang, visited the University of Thessaly on November 5-6 in Volos. The visit was organized by the Vice Rector for Innovation, Internationalization, Partnerships, and Digital Governance, Professor Chrysi Laspidou. The Rector of the University of Thessaly, Professor Charalampos Billinis, welcomed the Chinese visitors, emphasizing, “Collaborations with foreign universities are very important for the University of Thessaly. I am delighted to open another door to academic institutions in China. Promoting extroversion is one of the top priorities of our administration. I thank my colleagues who work systematically and successfully to establish this as a core value for our university.”
The visit took place at the Papastratos building in Volos, with the participation of distinguished professors from the university’s Volos and Lamia campuses. Alongside the Rector and Vice Rector, the meetings were attended by Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Quality Assurance, Professor Ioannis Anagnostopoulos, and Vice Rector for Research and Lifelong Learning, Professor Ioannis Stefanidis. Members of the University Council, including Professor Georgia Andreou and Professor Georgios Stamoulis, also participated. From the Department of Computer Science and Telecommunications, Assistant Professor Peristera Baziana, Associate Professors Maria Kozyri and Nikolaos Tziritas were present, along with Associate Professors Athanasios Kakarountas and Athanasios Loukopoulos from the Department of Computer Science with Biomedical Applications. Lastly, Professor Michael Vasilakopoulos from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Assistant Professor Apostolos Xenakis from the Department of Digital Systems also joined.
The BUPT delegation included Deputy Director of the Office of Development Planning Xiaofei Ma, Deputy Director of the Office of Undergraduate Affairs Wei Chen, Deputy Director of Century College Miaofeng Xie, Associate Dean of the School of Electronic Engineering Yuan Yao, and Head of the Office of Outreach and Networking Yuanmeng Cai.
The visit aimed to strengthen the collaboration between the two universities, focusing on developing student exchange programs and research partnerships in telecommunications, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital humanities. The BUPT representatives presented their department’s innovative educational and research initiatives and engaged in discussions with the academic staff of the University of Thessaly about expanding collaborative opportunities. These discussions sought to enhance the implementation of existing agreements for student exchanges and joint projects.
During the visit, students from the University of Thessaly were also invited to attend BUPT’s presentation by Chinese professors. They actively participated in discussions, expressing interest in future exchange programs, which offer valuable international experiences.
The visit concluded with the traditional exchange of gifts and a mutual commitment to further strengthening ties. Specific actions to be implemented in the near future are currently under consideration.
