Federico II strengthens academic relations with China

A delegation from the Department of Physics "Ettore Pancini" of the University of Naples Federico II, was received in Rome at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China for a meeting dedicated to strengthening academic and scientific cooperation between the Federico University and China.

Representing the Federico II were Gennaro Miele, Director of the Department of Physics; Giuliana Fiorillo and Nicola R. Napolitano, members of the same department and promoters of several academic agreements with China; and Daniele Riccio, Rector's Delegate for Doctoral Programs.

On the Chinese side, Counselor Xingguo Yu and Professor Chen Song from the Embassy's Education Office participated.

The meeting, sponsored by the Department of Physics, which in recent years has intensified its cooperation activities with several counterpart departments in China and has succeeded in attracting more and more Chinese students fully funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC), was an important step in the University's internationalization path.

In particular, there was a focus on the prospects of a real Memorandum of Understanding between the University Federico II and the CSC, aimed at structuring on a stable basis the mobility of doctoral students, co-tutoring theses of Chinese students at the entire University. The Federico II thus aims to become a hub for attracting CSC students to southern Italy.

With this in mind, Councillor Yu stressed the importance of also developing programs to bring more Italian and, in particular, Neapolitan students to study at Chinese universities. Particular attention, in this regard, was paid to the initiatives already implemented by the Department of Physics "Ettore Pancini" with Chinese partners, including the Summer School 2025 Physics, Astronomy and Artificial Intelligence, organized together with the School of Physics and Astronomy of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) at the Zhuhai campus. The initiative, which involved Italian and Chinese faculty and students, was recognized by the Embassy as a virtuous example of academic collaboration, capable of opening new exchange opportunities for Italian students in China as well.

Two particularly significant testimonies were heard during the meeting: that of a Federico student who participated in the Zhuhai Summer School, Lamberto Gargiulo, who recounted the experience as an extraordinary moment of cultural and scientific growth; and that of a CSC student, Hao Su, currently a doctoral student in the Department of Physics, who emphasized the importance of being able to carry out his research in a university of international prestige such as the Federico II.

The visit ended in an atmosphere of mutual openness and cooperation. The Embassy expressed full support for the definition of the future agreement with the CSC and the continuation of bilateral research and training programs. The Federico delegation said it is ready to maintain an open channel with the Embassy to welcome suggestions on initiatives that could attract more Chinese students to Italy, leveraging the unique combination of history, culture and scientific innovation that characterize Federico II University.

A meeting that confirmed the solidity of the path taken by the University to promote an increasingly intense scientific and cultural dialogue with the Chinese academic community, in the name of innovation and international cooperation.