From November 25 to 27, 2025, the groundbreaking ceremony and signing of the tripartite cooperation agreement for the Center for Teaching Practice of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education took place in the Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone in Hainan. This event marks a significant milestone in the development of NEFU’s Hainan International College and provides a substantial boost to the university’s international partnership and high-level talent development.

Wu Haifeng, Secretary of the Lingshui Li Autonomous County Party Committee, Party Secretary and Director of the Pilot Zone Management Bureau, Li Quan, a Standing Committee Member of the Lingshui Li Autonomous County Party Committee and Deputy County Mayor, and Liu Ming, a Party Committee Member and Deputy Director of the Pilot Zone Management Bureau, along with representatives from international universities such as the University of London Birkbeck, the Future Education Institute of Australia, the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Western Australia, the University of Auckland, James Cook University, and corporate and alumni representatives from State Power Investment Corporation (Lingshui) Smart Energy Co., Ltd., as well as representatives from other universities like Communication University of China and Minzu University of China, and Jiangxi Hongyi Construction Group Co., Ltd., attended the groundbreaking ceremony to witness this critical moment.

NEFU’s Party Secretary Sun Meng and President Song Wenlong, along with the university leadership team, attended the ceremony. With the distinguished guests present, they officially broke ground for the project’s start.

At the ceremony, the Lingshui Li Autonomous County People’s Government, the Hainan Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone Management Bureau, and NEFU officially signed the “Cooperation Agreement for NEFU’s Entry into the Hainan Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone”.

Wu Haifeng congratulated the signing of the three-party cooperation agreement and the groundbreaking of NEFU’s Center for Teaching Practice of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education. He stated that with the policy advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port and the integrated industry-education platform of the pilot zone, the center will become a hub for developing top talents with an international vision and will help pave the way for a new chapter in education services aligned with national strategies.

Wu Haifeng, Secretary of the Lingshui Li Autonomous County Committee of Hainan Province, and Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Experimental Zone Administration, spoke at the ceremony.

President Sun Meng highlighted NEFU’s deep historical roots and its significant contributions to the nation's ecological civilization. He mentioned that since the founding of NEFU’s Hainan International College in 2024, the college has established a platform to attract high-quality global educational resources and has laid a strong foundation for developing top-tier international talent. The signing of this cooperation agreement and the groundbreaking of the teaching practice center represent significant steps in integrating educational resources, building research platforms, and fostering talent at Hainan International College. NEFU will continue to strengthen its strategic collaborations with leading universities and research institutions worldwide, aiming to create an innovative education platform that connects China with the world and supports the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port and the expansion of advanced educational openness.

Sun Meng, Secretary of the CPC Committee at NEFU, delivered his speech.

Iain Watt, President of the Future Education Institute of Australia, spoke on behalf of the long-term partner institutions. He stated that, along with partner universities from Australia, the UK, and New Zealand, they will offer excellent education and life experiences to students of NEFU’s Hainan International College, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and vision needed to succeed anywhere in the world.

Iain Watt, President of the Australian Future Education Research Institute, delivered a speech at the ceremony.

Li Daozhan, Chairman of Jiangxi Hongyi Construction Group Co., Ltd., the project’s contractor, spoke on behalf of the construction team. He said that the project is a landmark effort in Hainan’s goal of building an international education innovation island. The construction team will focus on quality craftsmanship and efficiently advance the project to make this building, which represents the dream of education, a beautiful symbol for the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Li Daozhan, Chairman of Jiangxi Hongyi Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd., spoke on behalf of the construction contractors.

The project base for the Center for Teaching Practice of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education benefits from favorable natural and transportation conditions, with municipal infrastructure already in place. The total investment for the project is 320 million RMB, and it covers a total construction area of 57,044.61 square meters. The project site spans 40,870.51 square meters. It was designed by Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd., and built by Jiangxi Hongyi Construction Group Co., Ltd.

The project is situated near a century-old tree in the Hainan Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone. Its design concept strongly reflects NEFU’s motto “Learn from Nature, Strive for Harmony,” and its functional layout addresses the primary needs of students and faculty at NEFU in Hainan, such as professional teaching, experimental research, academic discussions, and international exchanges. The project features three main buildings: a teaching building, a research building, and an international joint research center. The teaching building will combine functions like professional instruction, seminars, exchange activities, administrative offices, global collaborations, and academic conferences. The research building will house specialized laboratories, including a computer science and technology lab, a mechanical engineering lab, a bioengineering and advanced materials lab, and a civil engineering lab, all equipped with state-of-the-art research facilities. The international joint research center will offer diverse research spaces designed for Sino-foreign cooperative education, with flexible arrangements to support joint academic activities, research seminars, work camps, and studios.

The teaching and research areas form a dual-C layout, closely linked and sharing a core. They are independently organized for easy management while remaining connected to share resources and facilities.

At the ceremony, leaders cut the ribbon for the new chapter of Hainan International College’s construction, followed by a symbolic groundbreaking, bringing the ceremony to a climax.

Dean Liu Zhiming from Hainan International College hosted the groundbreaking ceremony.

This cooperation agreement and the center’s groundbreaking will further broaden NEFU’s educational reach, marking the start of a new phase in collaboration with the Hainan Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone. This will help build a comprehensive, international high-end talent development platform, offering intellectual support for the Hainan Free Trade Port and contributing to the growth of a global education innovation hub.