Inauguration of the Beihang Valencia Polytechnic Institute

The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) has officially inaugurated the Beihang Valencia Polytechnic Institute (BVPI), its first permanent academic centre in China, located on the Hangzhou International Campus and developed in collaboration with Beihang University.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Rector of the Universitat Politècnica de València, José E. Capilla; the Rector of Beihang University, Wang Yunpeng; the Regional Minister for Education, Culture and Universities, María del Carmen Ortí Ferre; and the Spanish Consul-General in Shanghai, Francisco de Asís Benítez, as well as representatives from the authorities of Zhejiang and Hangzhou and the Valencian Regional Government, alongside scholars from the universities forming part of the International Campus.

During his speech, José E. Capilla highlighted the significance of the event for the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). "Today is a historic day for our university," stated the Rector, who recalled that the UPV has a strong international track record and has enjoyed close academic and scientific ties with China for decades.

In this regard, Capilla explained that academic staff and researchers from the UPV have been participating for years in joint projects with Chinese institutions, while the Valencian university has been welcoming students from China for over thirty years. Its students have been undertaking academic placements at universities in China for more than two decades.

The inauguration of the BVPI represents, the Rector noted, "a major qualitative leap" in this relationship, as it marks the first time the Universitat Politècnica de València has established a permanent academic presence in China.

The Beihang Valencia Polytechnic Institute is the first centre of a Spanish university in China to be officially recognised by the Spanish Ministry responsible for universities. It offers students the opportunity to undertake official bachelor's, master's, and PhD programmes developed jointly by the UPV and Beihang University.

Almost 400 students at the start of the academic year

The BVPI has commenced its academic activities with almost 400 students enrolled in four undergraduate degree programmes and six master's programmes, all taught entirely in English. The doctoral programmes envisaged in the project will be added to this offering in the near future.

Among the students who have embarked on this new phase are nearly 80 from Valencia and the surrounding area of the UPV, as well as Chinese students and those from other backgrounds.

The Rector chose to dedicate part of his speech to these first students, reminding them that they are part of a memorable moment for the institution. "You are the first students to take part in this permanent academic partnership between Spain and China, between the UPV and Beihang University," he stated.

Capilla thanked them for the trust they have placed in both universities and assured them that the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), alongside Beihang University, will work to guarantee academic excellence and help students develop their personal and professional projects.

The BVPI's degree programmes are linked to strategic fields such as computer science, artificial intelligence, aeronautics and other technological areas considered fundamental to the future development of societies.

However, the Rector also emphasised the significant cultural dimension of the programme. In his view, BVPI students are set to become "a generation of students who act as a bridge between cultures, between universities and between different, yet complementary, ways of understanding the world".

A campus at the heart of Hangzhou's technological ecosystem

José E. Capilla encouraged students to make the most of the opportunities available in Hangzhou, a city renowned for its strong presence in the fields of science, technology, and innovation. The Rector noted that studying in this city allows students to engage with a world-class technological and industrial environment and to gain first-hand insight into its businesses, research centres and social fabric.

"You have an extraordinary opportunity," said Capilla, who encouraged both students from Valencia and Chinese students to gain an in-depth understanding of each other's societies and cultures.

In this regard, he argued that the relationship between the UPV and Beihang University should be bidirectional, facilitating both the arrival of Chinese students in Valencia and the mobility of Valencian students to China.

A new international presence for the UPV

Capilla placed the creation of the BVPI within the international trajectory of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), an institution with its roots in the Valencian Community and campuses in Valencia, Alcoy and Gandia, but whose academic, scientific and cooperative activities have for decades extended to numerous countries.

"We are far from the Valencian Community, but we are still part of the UPV, because our university is wherever our students, our academic staff, our researchers and our staff are, and wherever we carry out our projects," he noted.

The Rector thanked the Rector of Beihang University, Wang Yunpeng, and the teams from both institutions for their work in making the project a reality.

From the university to the technology ecosystem: Geely and Unitree

The inauguration of the BVPI marks the culmination of an intensive programme of institutional and business engagements for the delegation from the Universitat Politècnica de València in Hangzhou.

The day before the inauguration, the UPV delegation visited Geely, one of China's leading industrial and technology groups, and subsequently met with Unitree, an internationally renowned robotics company.

These meetings build on the relationships the UPV already maintains with Chinese technology companies such as Huawei, and strengthen the new campus's links with Hangzhou's powerful industrial and technological ecosystem.