From August 27 to September 3, Kang Chongqing, Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Chinese Director of the Tsinghua University-University of Manchester Joint Doctoral Degree Program, Sun Kai, Deputy Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Associate Professor Zhang Ning, a supervisor representative of the Joint Doctoral Degree Program, and others traveled to London, Manchester, Glasgow, and other locations in the United Kingdom to visit academic organizations and universities including the headquarters of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Imperial College London, the University of Manchester, and the University of Strathclyde, carrying out activities such as academic exchange and cooperation, discussions on the Joint Doctoral Degree Program, and summer school teaching, comprehensively advancing cooperation with the United Kingdom.

On the morning of August 27, Kang Chongqing, Sun Kai, Zhang Ning, and Goran Strbac, Tsinghua University Distinguished Visiting Professor and Professor at Imperial College London, visited the IET headquarters at Savoy Place in London. Bob Cryan, Honorary President of the IET, Toni Allen, Chief Engagement and Growth Officer, and Christopher Knibb, Director of Governance and External Affairs, warmly received Kang Chongqing and his delegation. Bob Cryan extended a warm welcome to Kang Chongqing and his delegation and happily recalled his previous visits to China and his experiences of cooperation and exchange with Tsinghua University. On behalf of the IET, Toni Allen systematically reviewed the achievements of cooperation between the two sides over the years, including the successful holding of multiple Tsinghua-IET Electrical Engineering Academic Forums and Doctoral Student Forums, the co-organization of the IET ACDC international conference, the joint development of academic journals, and support for students' overseas practice. The related cooperation has also borne fruit: the IET's influence in China and the services provided to its members have continued to improve, a number of Tsinghua faculty and students have received IET awards and honors, and a number of Tsinghua faculty members have been named IET Fellows. Kang Chongqing expressed sincere gratitude to the IET for its long-standing strong support for the Department of Electrical Engineering in international exchange and cooperation and talent cultivation, especially noting that senior IET leaders represented by President Bob Cryan have frequently participated in activities jointly held by the two sides in recent years, enthusiastically guiding young students and making positive contributions to cooperation between China and the United Kingdom in the electrical energy field. He expressed the hope that this visit would serve as a new starting point to further refine and implement the academic partnership plan between the two sides, and, relying on Tsinghua University's 2030 Global Strategy, to comprehensively elevate the level of cooperation between the two sides and jointly promote the development and progress of China and the United Kingdom in the power and energy field.

Group photo of the two sides at the IET headquarters

On August 28, Kang Chongqing, Sun Kai, and Zhang Ning visited the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London and, together with Professor Goran Strbac and Professor Teng Fei, UK partners of the Tsinghua University-Imperial College London Joint Research Center for Smart Power and Energy Systems, co-organized a Sino-British Academic Symposium on Frontier Issues in Power and Energy. This symposium brought together numerous experts and scholars from top universities, research institutions, and industry in multiple countries to discuss in depth the energy transition and sustainable development of China and the United Kingdom.

The symposium opened with remarks by Tim Green, Dean of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and Kang Chongqing. Goran Strbac, UK Director of the Joint Research Center, and Sun Kai, Chinese Director, delivered a joint report introducing the Center's latest cooperation and research progress, fully demonstrating the two universities' fruitful results and collaborative innovation capabilities in the field of smart power and energy.

The conference featured three major agendas: invited lectures, reports on the Center's research results, and industry reports. Scholars from renowned universities such as the University of Michigan, the University of Bath, and the University of Edinburgh brought excellent academic sharing; young researchers from the two universities presented their latest research results in the field of power system intelligence, reflecting the Joint Center's solid effectiveness in young talent cultivation. At the same time, experts from industrial institutions such as China Southern Power Grid, National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), the National Energy System Operator (NESO) of the UK, and UK Power Networks (UKPN) shared experiences and challenges in engineering practice, further deepening the integration of industry, academia, and research.

This symposium not only consolidated the two universities' deep foundation in research cooperation and international exchange, but also injected new momentum for jointly addressing global energy challenges and promoting sustainable development in the future.

Tim Green delivering remarks

Kang Chongqing delivering remarks

University scholars and industry experts giving invited lectures and thematic reports

On August 29, the delegation from the Department of Electrical Engineering visited the University of Manchester and conducted exchanges centered on the Tsinghua University-University of Manchester Joint Doctoral Degree Program, with Kang Chongqing, Sun Kai, and Zhang Ning participating in the visit. Professor Wang Zhongdong of the University of Manchester, UK Director of the Joint Doctoral Degree Program, Professor Jovica Milanovic, former Dean of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Professor Peter Crossley of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and students in related directions participated in the exchange activities.

At the exchange meeting, Zhang Ning and Sun Kai respectively gave introductions on the overall situation of Tsinghua University and the Department of Electrical Engineering and on internationalized talent cultivation. Zhang Ning introduced Tsinghua University's disciplinary layout, talent cultivation system, foundation for international cooperation, and related efforts in carrying out interdisciplinary research oriented toward global frontier issues. Sun Kai focused on introducing the development history, research directions, faculty, research platforms, and talent cultivation characteristics of the Department of Electrical Engineering, demonstrating the Department's research foundation and disciplinary advantages in fields such as new-type power systems and low-carbon energy transition. Professor Wang Zhongdong, Professor Jovica Milanovic, Professor Peter Crossley, and other faculty and students of the University of Manchester extended a warm welcome to the Tsinghua delegation and held in-depth discussions with the delegation on the cultivation objectives, topic design, supervisor coordination, student selection, curriculum articulation, research training, and two-way exchanges of the Joint Doctoral Degree Program. Combining the existing cooperation foundation and disciplinary advantages of the two universities, the two sides put forward constructive suggestions on further optimizing the joint training mechanism, expanding student exchange channels, and promoting high-level research cooperation. Participating faculty and students expressed that Tsinghua University and the University of Manchester have a good cooperation foundation and broad cooperation space in the fields of electrical engineering, energy systems, and related interdisciplinary disciplines. The Joint Doctoral Degree Program will help integrate the high-quality resources of the two universities, enhance the level of internationalized doctoral training, expand the global vision of young talents, and promote deeper cooperation between the two sides in directions such as sustainable development, clean energy, and new-type power systems.

At the exchange meeting

Zhang Ning and Sun Kai introducing Tsinghua University and the Department of Electrical Engineering

Group photo of the two sides

From August 31 to September 3, Sun Kai and Zhang Ning visited the University of Strathclyde and, on behalf of the Department of Electrical Engineering, participated in the Third International Summer School on "Operation and Control of Power-Electronics-Dominated Power Systems," jointly initiated by Tsinghua University and Imperial College London and hosted by the University of Strathclyde, teaching summer school participants and conducting in-depth exchanges with Stephen McArthur, Principal of the University of Strathclyde and Tsinghua University Distinguished Visiting Professor, as well as more than 30 experts in the power and energy field from around the world and more than 80 summer school participants, further expanding and deepening the Department of Electrical Engineering's global cooperation network.