The 2021 China-Singapore Higher Education Forum themed "future technology and interdisciplinary higher education" was held in Jinan, Shandong province on Oct 16.

Organized by Shandong University, the forum attracted officials and representatives from the Shandong provincial government, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, and over 20 universities and research institutes, including Tsinghua University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Science and Technology in China, Northwestern Polytechnical University, South China University of Technology, Cornell University, University of Technology Sydney, University of British Columbia, and the China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute.

Interdisciplinary integration is not only an important feature of theera, but also a vital source of new disciplines, and a key means of cultivating innovative talents, which meets the needs of economic and social development, said Fan Liming, president of SDU.

Fan said that the Joint SDU-NTU Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research, which represents cooperation between Shandong University and Nanyang Technological University, is expected to provide a platform for top-ranking subjects and technology transform, a place for gathering and training talents. Giving full play to their respective advantages, both universities should vigorously carry out research on interdisciplinary integration and further boost cooperation between universities, government, companies, and social institutions.

During the forum,Lam Khin Yong, senior vice-president of NTU, spoke about priorities, partnerships and people, and emphasized the importance of talents. Zhu Min, vice-president of South China University of Technology, spoke about the cooperation between China and Singapore in recent years.

In addition, eight domestic and foreign experts conducted academic exchanges on future technology and interdisciplinary higher education at the forum.

Fan Liming, president of SDU, speaks about interdisciplinary integration at the forum. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]