Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Günther Meschke (third from left) attended the opening of the new Sino-D-A-CH Center for Smart Civil Infrastructure at Tongji University in Shanghai. © Privat

Internationalization New Sino-D-A-CH Center for Smart Civil Infrastructures established

Ruhr University and Tongji University have been cooperating for over 40 years. Now Vice-Rector Günther Meschke has helped inaugurate the new Sino-D-A-CH Center for Smart Civil Infrastructure in Shanghai.

“In March, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Ruhr University and the College for Civil Engineering at Tongji University jointly founded the new Sino-D-A-CH Research Center of Smart Civil Engineering under the umbrella of the Sino-German University (CDH) funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD),” explains Prof. Dr. Günther Meschke. The Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer has now traveled to Shanghai to attend the opening ceremony as one of the new directors of the center. Among others, the Rector and Vice-Rector of Tongji University, the Secretary General of the DAAD, the German Consul for Science at the German Consulate in Shanghai and representatives of the German and Chinese Ministries of Science were also present.

Tongji University

Tongji University in Shanghai is one of the double first class universities of the Chinese Ministry of Education. As a Project 211 and Project 985 university, it reports directly to the Ministry of Education. The university is best known for its engineering sciences, economics and architecture degrees. It was founded in 1907 by the German government as a German medical school for Chinese students in Shanghai under the auspices of the German doctor Dr. Erich Paulun.

“I am delighted that we have taken our scientific collaboration with Tongji in the field of civil and environmental engineering to a new level this year,” summarizes Meschke. “Tongji is one of the world's leading universities in the field of civil engineering. An important goal of the new center is to promote global efforts to achieve sustainable development in the construction industry,” underlined the Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer.
Deepening long-standing cooperation

The two universities have been cooperating since 1980. Only in March 2024, a delegation including the president of the Chinese partner university visited Ruhr University to sign a new agreement between the College of Civil Engineering at Tongji University and the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

For over 40 years

Initial contacts were established in the three engineering sciences, physics and chemistry. These were later followed by economics and German studies. On the tenth anniversary of the partnership in 1990, Tongji University donated the Chinese Garden to Ruhr University Bochum. In 2011, Ruhr University Bochum presented Tongji University with the “Pro Societate multorum annorum” award for the long-standing partnership.

Read here about the latest visit.