On July 16, 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and Henan University. The agreement was signed in Zhengzhou, China, by Professor Sophia Papaioannou, Vice Rector for Academic, International Affairs and Extroversion, on behalf of NKUA, and Professor Zhang Ligang, Vice President of Henan University. This Memorandum outlines the strategic framework for cooperation, aiming to enhance educational and scientific activities at both universities.
Henan University, established in 1912, has developed into a recognized, multidisciplinary, and international academic institution. According to global university rankings, it is among the top universities in China. The university comprises three campuses, offers 92 undergraduate, 45 postgraduate, and 21 doctoral programs, employs more than 4,700 faculty members, and has over 50,000 full-time students.
The collaboration between the two universities began with an expression of interest from the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Henan University to cooperate with the Department of Chemistry of NKUA. This was initiated after a visit by a delegation from Henan University and the Henan Province (which has a population of 99,000,000) to NKUA on April 30, 2024. Subsequently, Georgios Vougioukalakis, Professor of Organic Chemistry at NKUA, visited Henan University in October 2024, where he was, among others, named Chair Professor of Henan University.
Between July 14 and 18, 2025, the NKUA delegation, consisting of Professor S. Papaioannou and Professor G. Vougioukalakis, visited Henan University to discuss further deepening of the collaboration and to finalize the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. During this visit, an international conference in the field of Nanotechnology also took place, where Professor Papaioannou delivered a greeting and Professor Vougioukalakis presented the results of his research activity. Distinguished scientists from the USA and China, as well as Kostas Galiotis, Emeritus Professor at the University of Patras and member of the European Academy of Sciences, also participated in the conference.
In the discussions held between the NKUA delegation, the administration and academic staff of Henan University, and the Secretary for Research and Technology of Henan Province, Professor Rui Zhang, proposals were examined for joint educational and research objectives. These included the development of joint degree programs, the exchange of staff and students, collaborative research activities, sharing of educational and research infrastructure, and the overall quality enhancement at both institutions. Deliberations will continue, as a significant convergence was found in the strategic goals and the commitment to excellence and internationalization, laying the foundations for a fruitful and multifaceted academic partnership that is expected to contribute to the advancement of educational and research activity at both universities.
