On the morning of June 27, ZWU held a signing ceremony with Yuyao Municipal Government  to co-construct the Yuyao Campus of Zhejiang Wanli University. Attendees included Ying Xiong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Zhejiang Wanli Education Group, Lin Liangfu, President of the Zhejiang Wanli Education Group, Lin Zhihua, President of ZWU, Wang Weizhong, Secretary of the Party Committee of ZWU, as well as Yuyao City Party Secretary Fu Guirong and Mayor Wo Yong.

Also present were Vice Presidents of the Zhejiang Wanli Education Group, Lyu Jie, Dai Juju, and Tan Haojie; Board members of ZWU, Ying Min and Jiang Jianjun; Vice Presidents of ZWU, Chen Jiange and Yang Zhenfeng; Secretary-General of the ZWU Board of Directors, Wang Fuyin; Yuyao City Deputy Party Secretary, Political and Legal Committee Secretary, and Education Work Committee Secretary Wang Jiaoli; Yuyao City Standing Committee Member and Executive Vice Mayor Gao Haijun; Yuyao City People’s Congress Standing Committee Vice Chairman Ruan Yuejun; Yuyao City Vice Mayor Lin Ti; Yuyao City Political Consultative Conference Vice Chairman Zhu Weidong; and heads of relevant functional departments.

Fu Guirong stated that in recent years, Yuyao City has accelerated the construction of a modern, vibrant “Most Famous City”, with increasing comprehensive strength. Developing higher education and establishing universities is not only a significant responsibility for the Yuyao Municipal Government but also a long-held aspiration of the people of Yuyao. The research areas focused on by Zhejiang Wanli University, such as artificial intelligence, digital technology, and new materials, align closely with the development of Yuyao’s industries. This collaboration marks a “zero breakthrough” for Yuyao in higher education, completing a crucial piece of the puzzle in the development of the education sector. He hopes that both parties will take this as a new starting point to strengthen connections, deepen cooperation, and efficiently promote the implementation of the agreement. Yuyao City will make every effort to create the best conditions, and he also hopes that Zhejiang Wanli University will send its strongest team to fully support the construction and development of the Yuyao Campus, jointly making it a “new high ground” and “new model” for mutual benefit and high-quality development.

Ying Xiong expressed heartfelt gratitude for the support from the Yuyao Municipal Government, as well as the warm reception from the people of Yuyao. He mentioned that the signing ceremony is a “bilateral effort” aimed at the future, representing a solemn commitment from both parties to Yuyao’s future. Based on the characteristics of Yuyao’s local economy and society, Zhejiang Wanli University will establish a discipline and professional system that includes new energy, intelligent manufacturing, industrial design, and brand management, as well as master’s and doctoral degree programs, all aligned with Yuyao’s advanced manufacturing industry and economic development. He hopes that both parties will work together to make the innovative practices of the Yuyao Campus a model for higher education in the context of Chinese-style modernization.

During the signing ceremony, Lin Zhihua and Wo Yongte signed the co-construction agreement for the Yuyao Campus of Zhejiang Wanli University in the presence of Ying Xiong, Lin Liangfu, Wang Weizhong, Ying Min, Jiang Jianjun, Fu Guirong, Wang Jiaoli, Ruan Yuejun, Lin Ti, and Zhu Weidong. The agreement clearly outlines important aspects such as the campus location, scale, construction goals, professional discipline layout, research innovation, faculty team, cooperation mechanisms, and policy support. Both parties will adhere to the principle of “school-city integration” and implement the strategy of “mutual development between school and city” to create an open educational model of “cohabitation of school and city architecture”. This will be achieved through a four-dimensional integration of “high-quality applied talent cultivation, high-level scientific and technological achievement transformation, high-quality talent gathering ecology, and high-quality cultural and ideological inheritance”. The goal is to build the Yuyao campus into a high-level campus that offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral education at multiple levels.

According to the agreement, before the Yuyao campus is completed, both parties will initiate the construction of the Yuyao Innovation Research Institute of Zhejiang Wanli University, focusing on research cooperation and master’s degree training in fields such as energy and power, digital economy, electronic information, and intelligent science and engineering. After the Yuyao campus is completed, it is planned to be operational by September 2027, with new students moving in. The campus will establish 3-4 secondary colleges, primarily focusing on new engineering disciplines, including New Energy Science and Engineering, Energy Storage Science and Engineering (New Energy Power), New Energy Materials and Devices, Functional Materials (Materials Science), Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering, and Industrial Design. Within five years after the campus’ official opening, the planned enrollment scale is expected to reach around 5,000 students, including both undergraduates and graduates.

The construction of the Yuyao campus of Zhejiang Wanli University is a significant milestone for both the university and the local government, deeply implementing the provincial government’s major positioning and requirements for “strengthening higher education”. It aims to adapt to the new era, achieve effective results, and promote coordinated development in the Yuyao-Cixi region, enhancing Ningbo’s status as a leading city. Both parties will fully trust each other and seek deep cooperation, advancing the construction of the Yuyao campus with high standards. The new campus will be developed into a demonstration area for new engineering talent cultivation, a model area for school-city cooperation, and a collaborative integration area for industry, academia, and research. The university will leverage its advantages in education, technology, and talent to truly transform school-city cooperation into innovation advantages, competitive advantages, and developmental advantages, contributing to the strengthening of higher education in the province and city, and serving regional economic development.