On April 15, 2024, Prof. Ronghuai Huang, Dean of the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, UNESCO Chair on AI in Education, embarked on an official visit to Croatia, accompanied by Associate Professor Ahmed Tlili and Assistant to Dean Dr. CHANG Tingwen. The visit aimed to strengthen the cooperation in smart education between China and Central and Eastern European countries and to discuss the blueprint for future collaborative projects.
The first stop was the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, where the team was warmly welcomed by Professor Jana Žiljak Gršić, Dean of the Department of Informatics and Computing, and Professor Petar Jandrić, Vice Dean. They had productive discussions on co-organizing the Global Design Competition for Future Education, AI in Education (AIED) research projects, and digital printing technology with infrared spectroscopy. After in-depth talks, both sides agreed to establish a division of the 7th Global Competition on Design for Future Education at the university and invite experts in the field to join related research projects to promote educational innovation and development jointly.
In the afternoon, led by Professor Petar Jandrić, the team visited the Algebra University College. They were personally received by Rector Mislav Balković, accompanied by Branko Balon, Advisor for International Affairs and President of the Croatia-China Friendship Association. In a warm and friendly atmosphere, both sides explored in-depth the topics of student exchanges between China and Croatia, cooperation in academic activities, and joint academic research, showing great anticipation and enthusiasm for future cooperation.
The following day, Prof. Huang and his delegation continued their visit to the University North, the third higher education institution in Croatia, for a visionary discussion with Professor Marin Milković, the Rector, and his team. The university has attracted outstanding students from around the world, achieved significant success in international cooperation, and published high-quality academic journals under the Rector's leadership. Therefore, the prospects for cooperation in academic journal publishing and international conference organization are broad and promising.
At the end of the visit, the team had the honor to meet with Professor Vilko Žiljak, an Honorary Member of the Croatian Academy of Engineering, a titan in computer graphics. As an honorary professor at the University of Zagreb, Professor Žiljak has made pioneering achievements in three scientific fields: mathematical modelling and simulation, computer graphics, and printing. He demonstrated to the team the printing technology protected by infrared, which has achieved significant results internationally and published numerous papers. Both sides had an in-depth exchange on future cooperation in these fields, looking forward to jointly advancing scientific progress and innovation.
This two-day visit not only deepened the exchange and cooperation between the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University and the three universities in Croatia and their scholars but also laid a solid foundation for future educational cooperation and scientific research projects. Looking ahead, both sides will work together to write a new chapter of cooperation and contribute wisdom and strength to the prosperity and development of global education.