On the afternoon of October 11, the 2021 Management Committee Meeting on Cooperative Education Programs between NEFU and the Aston University was held online. The participants were as follows: Professor Song Wenlong, member of the Standing Committee of NEFU Party Committee and Vice President of NEFU, Ms. Saskia Hansen, Vice President of Aston University, and relevant discipline leaders of the two universities.

At the meeting, Song Wenlong said that the Engineering Management major, run with Aston University, was the first cooperative education program of NEFU. He reviewed the development of this project over the past four years as well as the remarkable achievements made by the students. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Song also pointed out that through persistent efforts, the first batch of 21 students of the Engineering Management major would soon further their study at Aston University, and that in the next five years, NEFU would continue to explore, accumulate experience, enhance academic exchanges, and strengthen faculty training, thus promoting the training of high-level international personnel.

In her speech, Ms. Saskia Hansen expressed heartfelt thanks to all colleagues for their efforts, and introduced the honors and achievements of Aston University over the past year, which provided strong support for the further development of cooperative education projects between the two universities. She also stressed that she would continue to promote in-depth cooperation and exchanges between the two sides in her future work. Professor Liu Zhiming, Dean of Aulin College, Professor Mujib Rehman, Director of the Department of Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston University, and Sun Weiguo, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Civil Engineering, respectively reported on project operation, project management, teaching management, enrollment and student services, of which they focused on the first batch of students and the efforts made by both parties.

Saskia Hansen expressed her gratitude for the complete success of the conference and stressed that Aston University would cooperate closely and work hard together with NEFU, and would make every effort to help these 21 students in both study and life in the UK. She looked forward to meeting with these students in Aston as soon as possible. At the end of the meeting, Song Wenlong thanked the teachers and staff of both sides for their efforts in this project, and promised that in the future, NEFU would work tirelessly to continue the high-quality and high-standard cooperation, and to promote the in-depth development of the project. He looked forward to meeting the other side in NEFU during the anniversary of the founding of NEFU next year, and to carrying on a new phase of in-depth cooperation and development between the two universities.