Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Unimore and Beibu Gulf University sign agreement for the 4+1 international programme

On the occasion of the official visit of the delegation from Beibu Gulf University, led by President Prof. Miao Jian, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia signed an inter-institutional agreement dedicated to the 4+1 Bachelor-Master Cooperative Programme. This academic cooperation model strengthens the relationship between the two universities following the previously signed Memorandum of Understanding, establishing a stable educational pathway between the Chinese and Italian university systems.

The agreement defines a programme with a total duration of five years. Selected students from Beibu Gulf University will complete the first three years of their undergraduate cycle at the Chinese university. In their fourth year, they will proceed with activities to complete their bachelor's degree alongside bridging courses aimed at postgraduate studies. They will then be able to transition to the phase at Unimore, subject to the academic, linguistic, administrative, and visa requirements stipulated by Italian regulations and University policies. The Italian phase will be dedicated to completing one year of Master’s studies, at the end of which admitted students who meet the established requirements will be awarded the corresponding degree by Unimore.

The programme anticipates an indicative flow of 20–30 students per cohort, with cooperation initially focusing on fields of strong technological and industrial interest. The agreement regulates three progressive cohorts, with the first year in China in 2026–2027 and continuation in Italy in 2027–2028, followed by subsequent cohorts up to the 2029–2030 academic year.

Unimore will also contribute to the preparatory phase in China through teaching activities, lectures, seminars, educational resources, and bridging courses, with the presence of at least one professor from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia per academic year. The governance of the programme will be entrusted to a Joint Committee composed of three representatives from each university, tasked with coordinating activities, monitoring the project's progress, reviewing curricula, and gathering feedback from students, faculty, and administrative staff.

The agreement also places significant emphasis on student protection. Throughout the various phases of the programme, enrolled students will have access to the rights provided for students of the same category at both universities, regarding the use of teaching facilities, libraries, and digital resources, as well as the opportunity to apply for scholarships and support services related to international mobility.

The collaboration with Beibu Gulf University also holds specific value for the region in which the Chinese university operates. BGU is based in Qinzhou, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a strategic area of south-western China for logistics, port infrastructure, intermodality, and relations with the ASEAN region. The local context is home to major port and industrial infrastructures, including the Qinzhou Automated Container Terminal, which features advanced applications of automation, artificial intelligence, big data, and smart logistics.

For Unimore, the agreement consolidates the University's international outlook, expands structured channels for attracting qualified international students, and opens a new avenue of academic cooperation in key sectors for teaching, applied research, and technology transfer. Furthermore, the 4+1 programme strengthens scientific and educational dialogue with a region of China linked to increasingly important industrial and logistical supply chains, with potential benefits for training professionals capable of navigating engineering skills, digital technologies, and advanced production systems.

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng