The University of Crete (UoC) hosted a distinguished delegation from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA) in Voutes Campus in Heraklion, on November 19, 2025, reinforcing the growing academic partnership between the two institutions. The visit centered on discussions for the potential establishment of a Confucius Institute to promote Chinese language and cross-cultural exchanges between the institutions, further expanding educational and cultural collaboration between Greece and China.

The event opened with welcome addresses by Professor Melina Tamiolaki, Vice Rector for Development, International Relations and Outreach, and Professor Maria Vamvakaki, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Lifelong Learning, and Research Policy. Their remarks underscored the importance of intercultural dialogue and highlighted the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UoC and NUAA as a strong foundation for new initiatives.

The program featured three insightful presentations from the University of Crete faculty:

• Professor Nikolaos Papadakis (Department of Political Science), Director of the Centre for Political Research and Documentation, delivered a talk titled “Higher Education, Employability and Developmental Strategies within a Changing Labor Market & Economy: Comparative Insights on the Impact of the Mega-Trends & PermaCrisis in the EU and China’s Relevant Public Policies.”
• Assistant Professor Maria Papadopoulou (Department of Philology), Director of TALOS Lab, presented “AI4SSH: Connect. Create. Collaborate” and the different ways Artificial Intelligence is used in TALOS project to open new roads in the fields of social sciences and humanities.
• Assistant Professor Antonios Angelakis (Department of Political Science) discussed “Science, Technology, and China in the Curriculum of the Department of Political Science”, highlighting research and courses of the department on Artificial Intelligence, industrial policy, globalization, and Sino-Western relations.

The NUAA delegation consisted of the following members: Professor Zhang Qiqian, Vice President of NUAA; Professor Zhang Daoqiang, Dean of the College of Artificial Intelligence; Mr. Zhang Guoquan, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Office; and Professor Zuo Tongyun, Chairman of the Board of the College of Foreign Languages.

During the final session, NUAA representatives presented an overview of NUAA activities and engaged in discussions exploring joint initiativeswith a focus on mobility programs and academic exchanges. As the visit concluded, both universities signaled their commitment to shaping a dynamic space for shared learning, cultural exchange, and innovative research.