On November 29, 2018, Professor Xueqian Zhou, together with the delegation of HEU, visited the Portuguese Embassy to report the collaborations between Harbin Engineering University and Lisbon University in the past 10 years. Counselor Teresa Alvarenga, the deputy head of mission, played host to the delegation.

Alvarenga expressed her recognition and appreciation of the pragmatic cooperation between our university and Lisbon University, and provided suggestions for the two universities’ subsequent cooperation. She hopes that the cooperation will be one of the activities for the 40 anniversary of the Sino-Portugal diplomatic relation.

Harbin Engineering University and Lisbon University started fostering and constructing the International Joint Laboratory of Naval Architecture and Offshore Technology, with the support of the Ministry of Education through a Key Project of Upbringing of International Joint Laboratory on Naval Architecture and Offshore Technology. In June, 2018, the two universities, after 4 years’ of mutual effort in preparation, filed the official application to the Ministry of Education for establishing the International Joint Laboratory. The International Joint Laboratory will carry out activities of scientific research, cultivation of internationalized researchers, gathering of internationalized research teams, exploration of internationalized system for operation and management. A director-responsible management system with an advisory committee will be adopted for the International Joint Laboratory. The Chinese director is Professor Duanfeng Han (vice president of HEU); and the Portuguese director is Professor Carlos Guedes Soares (member of Portuguese academy of Engineering).