On Monday, 15 December 2025, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens held a working meeting and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Harbin Institute of Technology. The University of Athens delegation included Professor Sophia Papaioannou, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, International Relations, and Extroversion; Professor Aristeidis Samitas, Vice-Rector for Finance and Development; Dr Georgios Vougioukalakis, Professor of Organic Chemistry at the School of Science; as well as senior staff from the Directorate of International Relations. On the part of the Harbin Institute of Technology, the delegation included Sun Xue, Executive Vice-President; Bai Yang, Secretary General of the Education Development Foundation; Su Jianfei, Executive Dean of the Institute of Modern Agriculture; Zhao Yixiao, Dean of the International Education College; and other senior officials from the institution.
Professor Sophia Papaioannou warmly welcomed the visiting delegation and underlined the importance of strengthening the University of Athens’ global presence and strategic relationships with leading institutions worldwide.
The two sides explored ways to advance research and academic activities, focusing on cutting-edge fields such as Chemistry, Aeronautics, Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change, and the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. They examined joint funding mechanisms to support research projects. Professor Papaioannou addressed the potential for preparing joint research proposals, developing joint postgraduate programmes, and co-supervising doctoral dissertations, with the aim of broadening ties and enhancing access to European and international funding. In turn, Professor Samitas drew attention to the University’s particular interest in engagement at the postgraduate level, especially in Business Administration and Finance, highlighting the value of connecting economic sciences with technology and innovation.
The meeting also acknowledged the ongoing work between the two Institutions. Dr Vougioukalakis described his collaboration with Professor Tengling Ye from Harbin Institute of Technology on an integrated system for detecting heavy metal ions and pesticide residues in the agri-food sector, involving research groups from the University of Athens and partner companies in Greece and China. Building on this, a related research proposal has already been submitted under the Greece-China bilateral cooperation programme.
The meeting concluded in a warm and constructive atmosphere with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, reaffirming the two Universities’ commitment to a dynamic, multi-faceted agenda across education, research, and innovation.
