Peking University, May 11,2012: On April 26-27, 2012, Zhou Qifeng, President of Peking University (PKU) went to the University of Copenhagen, Denmark to attend the annual meeting of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU).

Launched on January 14, 2006, IARU is a collaboration of ten of the world's leading research-intensive universities that share a similar vision and have a commitment to educating future leaders. Its Presidents meet annually at a host university venue to discuss joint initiatives under a series of categories in global education Initiatives.

This year’s meeting more focused on universities’ financial problems and students’ education.

Participants all agreed that in the context of global economic crisis, higher education was confronted with severe financial problems. Thus how to secure development with sound financial support has become one of the major challenges facing the university presidents, as well as how to optimize the school funds.

As consumers and products of higher education, students should get qualified education.  President Zhou particularly introduced the upcoming implementation of the "Higher Education Innovation Promotion plan” (also known as 2011 Plan). "IARU provides a platform to promote exchanges among higher education worldwide," Zhou said. He hoped that with the support of the Chinese government, closer and more effective cooperation among its members could be carried out in the future.

Ralph Eichler, President of University of Zurich, was elected as the next President of IARU at the meeting. New joint projects were also proposed to the President Board.

PKU’s seminar Technologic Transform of Innovative Universities was approved by the board. Funded by IARU, the seminar would be held in late 2012 or early 2013.

President Zhou also visited PKU’s Northern European partners—the University of Iceland, University of Lund, Sweden and the University of Aarhus, Denmark. Zhou said that PKU would seek deeper corporation with these universities in the fields of new energy, social welfare, Nordic literature and life sciences.

Background:
IARU members include the University of Copenhagen, the University of Zurich, the Australia National University, the University of Cambridge, Oxford University, the University of Tokyo, National University of Singapore, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University and Peking University.

Written by: Feng Jiayang, Liu Lu

Edited by: Zhang Jiang

Source: Office of International Relations, PKU