A cooperation agreement was signed at VERN' University between the Chinese Beijing Art and Media Vocational College and VERN' University, within the framework of the "Belt and Road" initiative - the China-Europe Center for Development and Cooperation.
The cooperation agreement, which is part of China's broader "One Belt, One Road" economic initiative, was signed by Yang Bo , founder of Beijing University of Arts and Media, and Prof. Dr. Vedran Mornar , rector of VERN' University.
"In the cooperation agreement, we defined the principle areas of cooperation, but more importantly, we also signed an agreement on the exchange of our students. This is not only an agreement between two institutions, but also an opportunity to deepen cooperation between China and Croatia. With the numerous scientists, experts and innovators that Croatia has given to the world, including China, I think that our country has something to offer through academic cooperation," emphasized the rector of VERN' University, Prof. Dr. Sc. Vedran Mornar .
"The establishment of this platform is the result of the joint work and wisdom of our institutions and the many years of promotion of the Chinese umbrella initiative 'One Belt, One Road', which is also strongly promoted by the former Croatian President, Prof. Dr. sc. Ivo Josipović. Through the signed agreement on academic exchange, our polytechnic will donate five million Chinese yen (more than 600,000 euros) over a ten-year period, from 2026 to 2036, to establish a scholarship fund that will provide scholarships to the best students from Croatia. In this context, cooperation with VERN' University is a key milestone in our international cooperation," explained the head of the Beijing polytechnic, Yang Bo .
The initiative will serve as a platform for the establishment of academic exchange channels, project cooperation, cultural exchange in higher education, and academic exchange and cooperation, and is based on four principles:
- building academic and educational platforms,
- development and exchange of young talents,
- cultural, artistic and sports cooperation,
- sustainable development and institutional cooperation.
The signing of the agreement was attended by representatives of the Croatian and Chinese delegations, representatives of the academic community, the initiator of the cooperation, Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivo Josipović , former President of the Republic of Croatia, Wang Zehui , a representative of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Croatia, and other distinguished guests.
The signing of the contract was marked by a special concert program performed by Naomi Konforta on the violin and Franjo Bilić on the piano.
