The annual Joint Management Committee (JMC) meeting between Yantai University and Trier University of Applied Sciences took place in June 2025. The committee is responsible for the management of the jointly founded Yantai Trier College of Responsible for Sustainable Technology.

Strategic meeting on joint academic programs

As part of the 2025 mid-year review, the JMC members met to assess the progress and strategic direction of their multi-year Sino-German cooperation. The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to reaffirm common goals, intensify academic collaboration, and exchange views on current initiatives.

Vice President Prof. Feng Suling (Yantai University) delivered the opening speech, emphasizing the continued success and growing international relevance of the joint programs of the Trier College of Sustainable Technology. She emphasized that the partnership has become a model for high-quality educational collaborations.

Prof. Wang Hongbo, Vice President for International Affairs, gave a detailed presentation on the upcoming evaluation of Sino-foreign joint educational institutions by the Chinese Ministry of Education. He explained in detail the preparation process, the required documents, and the overall timeline, emphasizing the university’s proactive approach to ensuring compliance and excellence.

Mr. Zhang Xijun, Party Secretary of Trier College, presented the 2025 mid-year report and development plan, outlining the achievements in teaching quality, international faculty recruitment, student support, and infrastructure development. He emphasized the importance of aligning with Chinese and German standards to ensure the high quality of the program.

On the German side, several programmatic updates were announced. Dr. Michael Knaus, academic advisor for the IMAT Master’s program, presented the newly introduced admission regulations, which are intended to provide greater transparency and better preparation for students for the Master’s program.

Prof. Dr. Christian Kammlott presented the latest progress in the implementation of the 3+1 double degree program, which allows students to study three years in China and one year in Germany, thus promoting deeper intercultural understanding and better academic exchange.

In his closing remarks, Prof. Dr. Peter Heck, Managing Director of the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS), praised the long-standing partnership and emphasized the importance of building on shared values such as sustainability, innovation, and mutual trust. He expressed confidence that the joint programs will continue to gain impact and global recognition.