On the morning of September 1, a delegation led by Vice Rector Karin Vanderkerken of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) visited Dalian Maritime University (DMU). Vice President Zeng Qingcheng met with the delegation and held discussions.

Zeng Qingcheng extended a warm welcome to Vice Rector Karin Vanderkerken and briefly introduced the university’s development history, talent cultivation, research cooperation, and international exchanges. He reviewed the course of cooperation between the two universities, noting that since the signing of the institutional cooperation agreement in 2024, positive progress has been made in areas such as faculty-student exchanges, joint master’s and doctoral training programs, and research collaboration. He expressed the hope that both sides would take this visit as an opportunity to further deepen joint cultivation of high-level talents at master’s and doctoral levels, reinforce collaborative research innovation, and elevate bilateral cooperation to new heights.

Vice Rector Karin Vanderkerken expressed her gratitude to the university for its warm reception and provided an overview of VUB’s history, faculties, and internationalization efforts. She spoke positively of the achievements in the initial phase of cooperation, particularly the substantial progress made in dual-degree doctoral training. She noted that the two universities share a solid foundation for cooperation and broad prospects for development, and expressed her expectation for further practical collaboration to expand the depth and breadth of cooperation, so as to achieve complementarity of strengths and mutual benefits.

Relevant officials from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange and the College of Environmental Science and Engineering attended the meeting.

During the visit, the delegation toured the Maritime Education Museum and the Library, gaining a deeper understanding of the university’s history and distinctive academic features.

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), with its roots tracing back to the Université Libre de Belgique founded in 1834, is located in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, often referred to as the “heart of Europe.” As a renowned comprehensive research university in Europe, VUB enjoys an outstanding reputation in both teaching and research. In the 2027 QS World University Rankings, it is placed 295th globally, with its programs in engineering, theoretical physics, electronics, computer science, chemistry, and biomedical sciences widely recognized across Europe. Currently, the university has more than 22,000 students, of whom 24% are international students from over 150 countries.