
The signing ceremony of the dual doctoral degree cooperation agreement. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]
Professor Yan Jianbing, President of Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), visited the University of Groningen (UG) in the Netherlands on Nov 6 to meet with President Jouke de Vries and sign a new dual doctoral degree cooperation agreement.
The agreement represents full mutual recognition of the PhD training quality between the two institutions. Under the terms, doctoral candidates accepted into the program in Economics and Management-related disciplines at HZAU, upon completing their studies and being awarded a PhD by either HZAU or UG, will also receive a doctoral degree from the partner university.
During their discussion, both universities agreed to use the dual PhD program as a key starting point to expand collaboration across all levels, from undergraduate to doctoral studies, including joint training and faculty-student exchange.
Regarding scientific research, HZAU and UG focused on practical cooperation in fields like behavioral science and resource and environmental science. They proposed a Behavioral Laboratory that would foster interdisciplinary convergence between liberal arts and sciences. This initiative aims to promote the use of experimental methodologies in social science research and government consultation services, driving academic exchange.